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PRACTICAL M ANJ] 







^■OF# 



EMBRACING THE 

treatment of Common diseases 


l. iX 


Afi 


1r 

ACCIDENTS AND EMERGENCIES, THE ALCOHOL AND 
TOBACCO HABITS, USEFUL HINTS 
AND RECIPES 


New Edition, Revised and Enlarged 


FORTY-THIRD THOUSAND 


PUBLISHED BY THE 



HEALTH PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
Battle Creek, Mich. 

1887 





Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1877? 

By J. H. KELLOGG, M. D., 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



Transfer 

Engineers School Liby, 
June 29 ,1931 


I 


PREFACE 


The increasing interest in the subjects of health and 
temperance refoihi has created a great demand for p 0 p- 
ular literature on the subject, to meet which, in part, has 
led to the preparation of this little volume. The small 
size of the volume necessarily restricts the number of 
topics to those of the most practical character, and 
makes it impossible to treat any of the numerous subjects 
touched upon in an exhaustive manner. The author 
has endeavored, however, to present such simple and 
practical suggestions on a large variety of topics as will 
make the book of real practical service to every one into 
whose hands it may fall. 

The “Forty Scientific Arguments against the Alcohol 
Habit” presents in a condensed form an array of scien¬ 
tific facts which must carry conviction to the minds of 
all candid persons who have not yet taken their stand 
upon the side of total abstinence. 

The “Ten Scientific Arguments against Tobacco- 
Using deals with this most common but obnoxious 
and depraving vice in a brief but direct manner, and is 
a summary of the scientific evidence against this grow¬ 
ing evil. 

The suggestions and hints given under the head of 
“Hygiene,” if thoroughly appreciated and applied, will 
obviate a very large proportion of the ills and suffering 
incident to domestic life. 

The section on “Food and Diet ” contains much which 
may be new to a majority of those who have never in¬ 
vestigated the subject from the standpoint of health. It 

(hi) 







IV 


PREFACE. 


is not intended t'o be in any sense complete, the object 
being only to call attention to a few of the ways in 
which disease and premature death are occasioned by er¬ 
rors in diet. Those who are interested to pursue the 
subject further should send to the Office of publication 
for other works treating it more at length. 

In “Simple Remedies for Common Diseases” are 
given directions for treating many common maladies 
with such remedies (with few exceptions) as are to be 
found in any household. 

“ Accidents and Emergencies” will be found to afford 
such information as may enable a person to be the means 
of saving many lives if it is carefully and promptly ap¬ 
plied at the proper time. 

Under the head of “Tests for Adulteration,” are given 
the most reliable tests for the various adulterations of 
food, together with a test for bad water,—all of which 
have been so simplified that they can be employed by 
any person of ordinary intelligence without the aid of 
expensive chemical apparatus or professional skill. 

A portion of this work was written and first published 
nearly ten years ago; and on revising it for the present 
edition, the author has found it necessary to make quite 
a number of changes. On some points new discoveries 
have been made; and on others, the author holds at the 
present time somewhat different views than at the time 
the portions of the work referred to were written. 

It is the hope of the author that this little volume may 
be the means of enlisting the interest of those into whose 
hands it may fall in the great subject of hygiene, and 
that, by pointing out some of the causes of disease and 
death, it may lead to their avoidance, and thus to the 
prolongation of human life and the mitigation of 
suffering. 





-- 

FORTY SCIENTIFIC ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE 
ALCOHOL HABIT. 

1. Alcohol is a chemical agent—2. Alcohol possesses ac¬ 
tive chemical properties—3. Alcohol is a desiccant— 
4. Alcohol is an antiseptic—5. Alcohol comes of a 
bad family—The* alcohol family—A dozen children of 
Bacchus—6. Alcohol is a poison to plants—7. Alco¬ 
hol is a poison to animals—8. Alcohol is a poison to 
human beings—9. Alcohol is a destructive agent— 
10. Alcohol is an irritant—11. Alcohol is a narcotic— 
12. Alcohol is an anaesthetic—13. Alcohol is a food— 
14. Alcohol is not a beverage in a physiological sense 
—15. Alcohol makes bad blood—16. Alcohol destroys 
the blood—17. Alcoholic degeneration—18. A drunk¬ 
ard’s heart—19. The whisky flush—20. A toddy blos¬ 
som—21. The drunkard’s brain—22. Alcoholic apo¬ 
plexy—23. Alcoholized nerves—24. The drunkard’s 
stomach—Stomach of a moderate drinker—Stomach 
of a hard drinker—The stomach in delirium tremens 
—25. Drunkard’s dyspepsia—26. Alcoholic insanity 
—27. A drunkard’s liver—28. “Bitters” and “bil¬ 
iousness”—29. Beer and Bright’s disease—30. Drunk¬ 
ard’s dropsy—31. Alcoholic consumption—32. Alco¬ 
hol vs. strength—33. Alcoholized muscles—-34. Stim¬ 
ulation not strength—35. Alcohol vs. animal heat— 
36. Alcohol vs. mental power—37. Alcohol a general 
disturber in the vital economy—38. Alcohol vs. lon¬ 
gevity—39. Moderate drinking, mild poisoning—40. 
The entailments of alcohol,.pp. 9-54 

TEN SCIENTIFIC ARGUMENTS AGAINST TO¬ 
BACCO-USING. 

1. The custom is a barbarous one—2. It is a deadly poi¬ 
son—3.,Effects of tobacco on the blood—4. Smoker’s 
sore throat—5. Smoker’s heart—6. Smoker's cancer 

[v] 



vi 


CONTENTS. 


—7. Tobacco-user’s dyspepsia—8. Nicotinized nerves 
—9. Tobacco paralysis—10. The tobacco legacy— 
How to cure the tobacco habit,.pp. 55-64 

PRACTICAL HINTS ABOUT HEALTH. 

Fresh air—Sources of impure air—Poisonous gases— 
Germs—Dust—Organic poison—Malaria—IIow to ven¬ 
tilate—Simple method of ventilating common dwell¬ 
ings—Tests for bad air—To destroy foul odors—Dis¬ 
infecting lluid—Cess-pools—Under the house—Moldy 
walls—Privies—Sunshine—House plants in sleeping- 
rooms— Beds and bedding — Barnyards—Cleansing 
sick-rooms—Disinfecting clothing—Sick-room disin¬ 
fection—House-cleaning—Poisonous paper—Poison 
ous aniline colors—Hair dyes and cosmetics—Hygiene 
of the eyes—Keep clean—Tight-laced fissure of the 
liver—Thin shoes—Keep warm—Squeezed to death— 
Night air—Hygienic agencies—Air—Water—Food- 
Clothing— Exercise — Rest—Cheerfulness—Sunlight 
—Electricity,.p*p. 65-112 


FOOD AND DIET. 

Poor food—Condiments—Facts about salt — Vegetable 
vs. animal food—A live hog examined—Tape-worm 
—Trichinae — Poisonous water—Milk from stabled 
cows — Catching consumption — Poisonous sirups— 
Tea and coffee—Hard water—Iced water—Eating be¬ 
tween meals—Hasty eating—Alcoholic drinks—Facts 
about alcohol—Effect of diet on the liver—Two meals 
a day—Tender meat—Lager beer as food—A barbar¬ 
ous practice—Diet and mental labor—Cheerfulness at 
meals—Spices,.pp. 112-139 

SIMPLE REMEDIES FOR COMMON DISEASES. 

Colds—Sore throat—Hoarseness—Headache—Burns and 
scalds — Chilblains — Pain — Faccachc—Toothache— 
Earache—Rheumatism — Colic — Convulsions — Hys¬ 
terics—Apoplexy—Fainting — Mumps— Dysentery— 
Rules for dyspeptics—Sleeplessness—Ague—Inconti¬ 
nence of urine in children—Worms—Constipation— 
Foul and profuse perspiration—Cold feet—Heart burn 
—Crick in the back—Stitch in the side—Lumbago— 
Biliousness—Cramps—Palpitation of the heart—Indi¬ 
gestion—Softening of the brain—Consumption—Vom 







CONTENTS. 


Vll 


iting — Bleeding piles — Hiccough—Sneezing — Bad 
breath — Sleeplessness — Ulcers—Chafing —Canker— 
Chapped hands, feet, and lips—Freckles—Sore eyes— 
Near-sightedness—Far-sightedness—Baldness—Itch— 
Lice—Warts—Corns—Bunions—Boils—Stone-bruise— 
Felon—Hang-nail—Diseases of women—Care of the 
sick—Signs of real death—Torpid liver, .pp. 140-189 

ACCIDENTS AND EMERGENCIES. 

Drowning and suffocation—Poisonous gases—Illuminat¬ 
ing gas—Hanging—Choking—Lightning stroke—Sun¬ 
stroke — Hemorrhage — Nose-bleed — Bleeding from 
lungs—Cuts—Dressing for wounds—Bruises—IIow to 
cure a sprain—Fractures and dislocations—Burns and 
scalds — Freezing—Bite of mad dog — Rattlesnake 
bite—Insect stings—Dirt in the eye—Lime in the eye 
Foreign bodies in the ear—Foreign bodies in the nose 
—Chimney on tire—What to do in poisoning—Vege¬ 
table poisons—Acids—Mineral poisons—Alkalies— 
Alcoholic poisoning—Chronic poisoning — Lead — 
Opium and tobacco—Poisonous candies and food— 
—Soda water—Dangerous kerosene,.pp. 190-212 

HYDROPATHIC APPLIANCES. 

Sponge-bath—Sitz-bath—Wet-sheet pack—Fomentations 
— Pail-douche — Chest-wrapper— Ilalf-bath — Com¬ 
presses—Rubbing-wet-slieet—Hot applications—Va- 
por-bath—Hot-air bath—Enemas—Inunction, 

.pp. 212-215 


TESTS FOR ADULTERATION. 

Detection of alum in bread—To detect blue vitriol in 
bread—Adulterations of butter—Test for glucose— 
Adulteration of Sirups—Adulterated and artificial 
honey — Adulteration of baking-powders — Canned 
fruits and vegetables—Preserves, marmalade, ctc.- 
How to detect bad water—Vinegar and pickles—Tea 
and coffee—Adulteration of tin,...pp. 216-221 

USEFUL HINTS AND RECIPES. 

Soap to remove grease spots—To remove grease from 
silk—To restore color—To remove stains from the 
hands—To remove paint from cloth—Calcimining 
fluid—To remove mildew—To remove paint from 





Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


wood—Cements for glass and cliina—Liquid glue— 
Cements for iron—Cement for stone-ware—How to 
remove rust from clothing—To clean looking-glasses 
—To cleanse the hair—Fire-proof paint for roofs— 
Lotion for fetid perspiration—Cement for wood—To 
preserve steel from rust—To clean leather—To make 
cloth uninflammable—Ink stains—Removing fruit 
stains—Coal-tar for fence-posts—Carron-oil—To de¬ 
termine the capacity of a round cistern—To ascertain 
the weight of hay—Remedy for mosquitoes—Adhe¬ 
sive cloth—To take off paint—Plant wash—Starch 
polish—Paste—To color black—To color scarlet—To 
color blue—To color green—Tooth powder—Washing 
fluid-—To get rid of rats—Liquid bluing—To kill ants 
—Wash for the teeth—Black ink—Red ink—Indelible 
ink—Soft soap—Bug poison—To etch on metal— 
Borax wash—Plant-lice—Mending tin-ware—To dry 
boots—Blue ink—Soldering fluid—Solder for tin— 
Solder for lead—Freezing mixture—To extract grease 
stains from wall-paper—Disinfecting fluid—To re¬ 
move potato sprouts—To make cloth water-proof— 
How to make a filter—Durable whitewash—Cleaning 
bottles—To keep water cool—Preserving grapes— 
Japanese method of cooking rice—Beef tea—The 
bushel—Uses for ashes—Cheap paint for barns and 
sheds—To preserve shoes and boots,.... pp. 222-236 




Practical Manual 


-OF- 

HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 

-- 

Forty Scientific Arguments Against 
the Alcohol Habit, 


1.—Alcohol is a Chemical Agent. 

The chemist describes alcohol as a liquid tech¬ 
nically known as hydrated oxide of ethyl , contain¬ 
ing two atoms of carbon, six of hydrogen, and one 
of oxygen, and represented by the formula, C 2 H 5 HO. 
It is colorless when pure, and very inflammable, 
burning with a pale blue flame. It is closely allied 
to such chemical compounds as naphtha, turpentine, 
benzine, fusel oil, kerosene, and burning fluid. It 
is seldom found pure, usually containing from two 
to fifty per cent of water, besides various impurities, 
chief among which is fusel oil, another variety of 
alcohol. 

With the exception of air and water, no example 
can be produced in which a chemical compound is 
of service in the vital economy as an article of hab¬ 
itual use; and neither of these really enters into the 
vital structure of the body. The oxygen of the air 
destroys the worn-out particles of the body, and 

[9] 






10 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


water is the vehicle by which useful material is in¬ 
troduced into the body and circulated through it, 
and impurities and useless particles washed out of 
the tissues, and removed from the vital domain. 

2. —Alcohol Possesses Active Chemical Prop¬ 
erties. 

The active chemical properties possessed by alco¬ 
hol render it not only unfit for introduction into the 
body, but actually dangerous. As we shall here¬ 
after show, its various active chemical and physical 
properties are the means by which it exerts so potent 
an influence for evil. No one would think of mak¬ 
ing habitual use as a beverage of sulphuric acid, 
aqua ammonia, or any similar substance possessing 
equally active chemical properties, and yet alcohol, 
in a pure state, is scarcely less active than the sub¬ 
stances mentioned. 

3. —Alcohol is a Desiccant. 

Pure alcohol is a most powerful drying agent, on 
account of its great affinity for water. So great is 
its avidity for water that it is extremely difficult to 
obtain it in a perfectly pure state, and it is equally 
difficult to preserve it free from water when it has 
been made so by delicate chemical processes. A 
piece of flesh placed in alcohol soon becomes shriv¬ 
eled, hard, and leathery from the action of the alco¬ 
hol upon the albuminoid elements of the flesh. This 
action is readily shown by the following simple 
experiment:— 

Place in a goblet the whites of two or three eggs 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


11 


from which the yolk has been carefully removed. 
Now add two or three tablespoonfuls of strong 
alcohol. In a minute or two the colorless trans¬ 
parent albumen has become opaque, white, and hard, 
as though it had been dropped into boiling water. 

A piece of the most tender steak placed in alcohol 
becomes in a few days as tough as sole leather. 

It is due, in part, to this desiccating or drying 
property that alco.hol does its work of destruction 
upon the blood corpuscles, the liver, the brain, and 
various other parts of the body. The brain of a 
hard drinker can be distinguished from that of a 
total abstainer by its hardness. The famous an¬ 
atomist, Hyrti, asserted that he could tell the brain 
of a drunkard in the dissecting room in the dark. 

4.—Alcohol is an Antiseptic. 

Although itself the result of fermentation, it lias 
the remarkable property of preventing this change 
in other substances. It has been suggested that this 
is an argument in favor of its use as a beverage, as 
it may prevent the destruction of the tissues and so 
preserve life. The argument is in the highest degree 
fallacious. Alcohol preserves from decay, but not 
from death. 

A few years ago the writer heard of an old gen¬ 
tleman who had reached the advanced asre of one 
hundred and seventeen years. Thinking that this 
remarkable age might have been attained through 
temperate habits of life, he took considerable pains 
to hunt him up. To his disappointment, he learned 
before seeing the centennarian that he had been ad- 




12 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


dieted to the use of whisky and tobacco for upwards 
of a century. He found him puffing away at a short 
pipe, a poor, shriveled-up caricature of humanity, 
with only a partial semblance to a human form, 
quite incapable of any enjoyment by the sort of 
negative pleasure afforded by his pipe and toddy, in 
fact, nothing more nor less than a human pickle, 
dead, in fact, in a practical sense, for thirty or forty 
years, though his friends had neglected to bury him. 
Alcohol makes a very good pickle, but human pickles 
are not useful members of society. 

5.—Alcoliol Comes of a Bad Family. 

“A man is known by the company he keeps.” 
This adage is equally applicable to some other things 
as well as men. It holds good respecting alcohol, at 
least. Chemical compounds are divided into groups, 
the various members of which possess similar char¬ 
acters as regards composition and properties; and it 
is not usual to find one member of such a group 
possessing only wholesome or negative properties, 
while all the rest are virulent poisons. Among the 
various groups of chemical compounds referred to, 
there is one known as “The Alcohol Group.” The 
following is a list of the principal members of 

THE ALCOHOL FAMILY, 

Chem. Comp. 


Methylic Alcohol (naphtha), C H 3 HO 

Ethylic Alcohol (com. alcohol), C 2 H 5 HO 

Propylic Alcohol, C 3 H 7HO 

Butylic Alcohol, C 4 H 9 HO 

Amy lie Alcohol (fusel oil), C 5 H u HO 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


13 


The first, Methylic Alcohol, or wood naphtha, is 
derived from the distillation of wood. It produces 
intoxication very quickly, when drank, but its effects 
are very transient, owing to its great volatility. It is 
not often used as an intoxicant, but has been so em¬ 
ployed by persons of peculiar taste, or confirmed 
inebriates who were restrained from obtaining* their 

„ o 

accustomed allowance of' grog. We once had a pa¬ 
tient who had on several occasions swallowed a half 

pint of naphtha when brandy or whisky could not 
be obtained. 

The second in the list, Ethylic Alcohol, or wine 
spirit, is the intoxicating element of spirituous liq¬ 
uors, and is obtained by the distillation of fermented 
liquids. The most common foTm. in which it is used 
as a beverage is in brandy, whisky, beer, wine, etc. 
It is seldom found pure in commerce, being usually 
mixed with water. This variety of alcohol is more 
intoxicating in its effects, and more injurious to the 
vital tissues than the preceding. 

Propylic Alcohol, like the preceding, is obtained 
by distillation, being one of the by-products of the 
process of making common alcohol from fermented 
grain. It is not used as an intoxicant, except as an 
impurity of ordinary liquors; but when obtained in 
a pure state, as it has been for purposes of experi¬ 
ment, it is found to be heavier and still more intox¬ 
icating than the preceding. 

Butylic Alcohol, the fourth in the list, is generally 
obtained by the fermentation of beet root. It is also 
undoubtedly produced in the fermentation which 





14 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


occurs in butter and cheese when they become old 
and rancid, since these substances contain an acid 
known as butyric acid, which is derived from this 
variety of alcohol. It is this which gives to frowy 
or rancid butter and very old cheese their peculiar 
flavor. This member of the family is still more 
active in intoxicating properties than those already 
mentioned, producing an intoxication which is very 
slowly recovered from, and in which there is very 
great prostration, trembling of the muscles, and great 
coldness. Recovery is very slow. 

Amylic Alcohol , or fusel oil, is produced in the 
fermentation of potatoes, and also, to some extent, 
in the fermentation of grains and fruits. It has a 
burning taste and pungent odor, and is the charac¬ 
teristic constituent of bad whisky. A few drops 
of fusel oil will produce as profound an intoxicating 
effect as a considerable quantity of ordinary alcohol, 
which accounts for the infuriating and deadly 
effects of bad whisky, as well as its rapidly fatal 
effects, as seen among miners, negroes, and Indians. 
The deadly effects of cheap rum from the West In¬ 
dies have become so manifest in some of the South 
Sea Islands controlled by the English government 
that it has become necessary to prohibit its introduc¬ 
tion. 

There are numerous other alcohols closely allied 
to those mentioned, and with similar properties, be¬ 
sides those numerous other compounds which are 
classed by the chemist in the “alcohol series,” among 
which are the well-known substances. carbolic acid 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


15 


and creosote , the caustic and poisonous properties of 
which are too well known to require more than 
mention. If not own brothers, these compounds are 
at least cousins of “the demon of the cup.” 

The chemical formulae of the various varieties of 
alcohol are given to show their intimate relations to 
each other. It will be observed that they are all 
made up of the same elements,—carbon, hydrogen, 
and oxygen, or C, H, O, the only difference being in 
the proportion of the several elements. For exam¬ 
ple, the only difference between Ethylic Alcohol , or 
wine spirit, and Methylic Alcohol , or wood naphtha, 
is one atom of carbon and two of hydrogen; whilq 
the disgusting Butylic Alcohol differs from wine 
spirit by only two atoms of carbon and four of hy¬ 
drogen. Carbolic Acid only differs from wine spirit 
by containing four more atoms of carbon, the pro¬ 
portions of hydrogen and oxygen being just the 
same. 

In this connection, we should make note of the 
fact that alcohol is in the strictest sense of the word 
a chemical or inorganic compound, since it is derived 
from the destruction of organic or organized matter, 
and may be produced from inorganic substances by 
chemical processes, which is not true of any organ¬ 
ized substance, such as grains and fruits, or any 
animal or vegetable substance. 

A DOZEN CHILDREN OF BACCHUS, 

The Ethylic member of the “alcohol family ” has 
a numerous progeny, representatives of which are 




16 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


found in all the countries of the globe. The chief 
of those in common use as beverages in this country 
are included in the following table, which also gives 


the percentage of alcohol each contains: 


Small Beer, 

Ter cent. 

1-3 

Whisky, 

Cider, 

5 

Rum, 

Brandy, 

Perry, 

5 

Ale, 

10-20 

‘ 1 Bitters,” 
Jamaica Ginger, 

Wine, 

7-25 

Gin, 

39 

Absinthe, 


Per cent. 

46 

48 

54 

6-60 


It will be noticed that one of the “bitters" given 


above, Richardson’s, contains more alcohol than the 
strongest rum. “ Temperance Bitters ” is more than 
one-sixth alcohol; and “Vinegar Bitters," the manu¬ 
facturers of which publish a temperance almanac to 
advertise it, and claim that it is absolutely free from 
alcohol, contains more alcohol than small beer, hard 
cider, or light wine. These bitters, with scores of 
others, have an immense sale, thousands making 
habitual use of them who profess to be total abstain¬ 
ers. Several of them are kept on the counters of 
the bar-keeper as regularly as “ Holland Gin," “ Ja¬ 
maica Rum," or “Old Rye." 

“ Jamaica ginger " will burn like pure alcohol, and 
absinthe is a compound of very strong alcohol with 
oil of wormwood. The latter intoxicant has been 
introduced into this country very recently, but is 
to be seen displayed in the windows of the grog¬ 
shops in certain parts of New York and other large 
cities. It has been in use in France for many years, 
and, as we were credibly informed when in Paris, 
is there well recognized as exceedingly deadly in its 






HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


17 


effects, producing speedy derangement of the stom¬ 
ach and a rapid decline. 

6. --Alcohol is a Poison to Plants. 

Vital properties are pretty much the same in a 
general way, whether manifested by a mushroom or 
a man; and any substance which will destroy the 
life of a plant is not likely to be wholesome for hu¬ 
man beings. If a plant be watered with a solution 
of alcohol, its leaves soon wither, turn yellow, and 
the plant dies, even when the proportion of alcohol 
is so small as one part in one thousand parts of 
water. 

7. —Alcohol is a Poison to Animals. 

A tadpole dropped into a vessel containing alcohol 
dies in a minute. Leeches and other small animals 
succumb in like manner. Some time ago the writer 
tried an experiment with small minnows, the follow¬ 
ing description of which is quoted from a lecture 
before the Lake Bluff Temperance Convocation, 
August, 1882:— 

“I made an experiment the other day with some 
minnows. First I put a minnow into a glass con¬ 
taining two teaspoonfuls of alcohol in a half-pint of 
water. In five seconds he turned over on his back, 
in ten seconds he began to float toward the top, and 
in sixty seconds he was dead. I thought that if I 
dropped another into a glass containing pure alcohol 
he would die at once. I tried it, and the minnow 
lived for three minutes. I then put a minnow out 
on the table, and he lived for six or seven minutes. 

2 




18 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


I determined that the reason for this curious result 
was that when the minnow was put into pure alco¬ 
hol, he simply died of suffocation. In the other case, 
where the fluid was about the strength of small beer, 
the minnow became saturated with the alcohol inside 
as well as outside, by taking it in through the gills, 
and thus died of alcoholic poisoning. In the first 
case the gills closed firmly as soon as the minnow 
was dropped into the alcohol, and he died because 
he could not breathe, j ust as the other one died when 
laid out on the table. This might be taken to show 
that, in the ca.se of the minnow, at least, moderate 
drinking is more fatal to longevity than hard drink- 

• 77 

mg. 

A New York journal recently reports a series of 
experiments by a French physician on the influence 
of alcoholic liquors on fowls, as follows:— * 

"He administered to them brandy and absinthe, 
and found one and all to take so kindly to their un¬ 
wonted stimulants that he was forced to limit each 
bird to a daily allowance of six cubic centimeters of 
spirits or twelve of wine. There was an extraor¬ 
dinary development of cocks’ crests, and a rapid and 
general loss of flesh. The experiments were contin¬ 
ued until it appeared that two months’ absinthe 
drinking sufficed to kill the strongest cock or hen, 
while the brandy drinkers lived four months and a 
half, and the wine bibbers held on for ten months 
before they died the drunkard’s death.” 

Some Pennsylvania beer sellers tried the effects of 
beer on a goat. Whether the experiment was for 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


19 


the purpose of determining the quality of the beer, 
or the constitutional toughness of the goat, is not 
recorded; but the result was fatal to the goat, not¬ 
withstanding the hardihood for which he is proverbial. 
Just how many glasses were required to extinguish 
him is not mentioned; but he died, and the high 
quality of the beer was established beyond the pos¬ 
sibility of cavil. 

But this is not the end of the story. The Humane 
Society learned of the proceeding, and immediately 
began an action against the beer venders for cruelty 
to animals. The action was undoubtedly j ustifiable, 
but it is a matter of wonderment that the same law¬ 
makers who have made it an offense to kill goats 
with beer, have never once thought of its being a 
crime to destroy human beings by the same means, 
although there are a hundred thousand human beings 
sacrificed by this means, to one goat. It is to be 
hoped that the question of prohibition will be ag¬ 
itated until human beings are at least as well pro¬ 
tected as goats. 

The eminent Dr. Dujardin Beaumetz of Paris has 
been engaged for some years in conducting exper¬ 
iments upon the effects of alcohol on various animals, 
chiefly pigs, and finds it to be uniformly that of a 
poison. 

A brilliant writer wittily says, if lower animals 
were addicted to the drug to one-tenth the degree 
man is, in a short time there would not remain upon 
the face of the earth an animal which would be 
tamable , workable, or eatable. 




20 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


8. —Alcohol is a Poison to Human Beings. 

Notwithstanding the apparent impunity with 
which diluted alcohol in the form of various liquors 
may be taken, pure alcohol is rapidly and certainly 
fatal when taken into the stomach without dilution. 
Cases of instant death from drinking a considerable 
quantity of strong liquor have often been recorded; 
and numerous cases of death from this cause are 
constantly occurring in every large city. As we 
shall show hereafter, alcohol in every form is still a 
poison, the rapidity of its effects being largely deter¬ 
mined by the degree of dilution in which it is intro¬ 
duced into the system. 

9. —Alcohol is a Destructive Agent. 

Aside from its poisonous character, using the word 
in the ordinary sense, alcohol is a destructive agent. 
When pure, it possesses properties closely allied to 
those of a caustic, and when taken into the mouth 
occasions an intense burning. Applied closely to the 
skin, it speedily destroys it. This is exactly what 
would be expected of any chemical agent possessing 
such active properties as does this. 

10. —Alcohol is an Irritant. 

The irritating effects of alcohol arc readily ob¬ 
served by placing a drop upon a raw surface, or in 
contact with some sensitive organ, as the eye. Even 
a very dilute solution will produce intense inflamma¬ 
tion. Still more profound, though for the time less 
sensibly irritating, effects are produced when the 
alcohol is absorbed into the system and comes in 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


21 


immediate contact with the delicate internal struct¬ 
ures of the body. 

11. —Alcohol is a Narcotic. 

Its first effects are exciting; but like most other 
substances of similar nature, its secondary and more 
prominent effect is that of a narcotic. It benumbs 
the sensibilities. If a man is exhausted, it relieves 
the sense of fatigue by obtunding his senses, not by 
replenishing his wasted energy. Persons who have 
died from the effects of an overdose of alcohol, pre¬ 
sent all the indications of narcotic poisoning. 

12. —Alcohol is an Anaesthetic. 

A tablespoonful of strong alcohol held in the 
mouth for two or three minutes, will obtund the 
sense of taste so as to render a person unable to de¬ 
termine between sweet and sour, saline and bitter. 
If taken in sufficient quantity, it will relieve the 
sense of pain sufficiently to enable a surgeon to per¬ 
form an operation with little or no suffering on the 
part of the patient. A few years ago we employed it 
successfully as an anaesthetic to enable us to perform 
an operation upon the eyes. The patient, a lady, 
asserted that she felt scarcely any pain, although the 
operation involved the most sensitive portions of the 
eye, and required fully half an hour for its perform¬ 
ance, as both eyes were operated upon. It is an 
interesting fact in this connection, that the two 
great anaesthetics which are so successfully employed 
in surgery—ether and chloroform—are both derived 
from alcohol, the anaesthetic effects of the latter be¬ 
ing simply intensified in the former. 




22 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OP 


13. —Alcohol is (i Food. 

The aristocratic toper, who wishes to give an air 
of respectability to his vice, will claim that alcohol 
is a food. He will cite, in proof, instances in which 
persons have lived for weeks by the aid of no other 
nutriment, taking nothing but alcohol and water. 
This semblance of argument scarcely needs expos- 
ure; for the most that can be claimed is that it 
proves merely that persons have lived several weeks 
while taking only alcohol and water. The fact that 
individuals have in several instances been known to 
live from thirty to sixty days while taking only wa¬ 
ter, shows conclusively that those persons who lived 
a shorter time on brandy and water, lived in spite 
of the alcohol instead of by the aid of it. A con¬ 
clusive evidence that alcohol is not a food is found 
in the fact that when taken into the system it un¬ 
dergoes no change such as foods undergo. It is 
alcohol in the still, alcohol in the stomach, alcohol 
in the blood, alcohol in the brain, in the liver, in 
all the tissues, and alcohol in the breath, in the per¬ 
spiration, and in all the excretions. In short, alcohol 
is not used in the body, but leaves it as it enters, a 
rank poison. 

14. —Alcohol is Not a Beverage in a Physio¬ 
logical Sense. 

Water is the only drink; that is, the only liquid 
capable of supplying the demand of the system for 
fluid. The various beverages in common use are of 
value only to the extent that they contain water, 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


23 


the universal solvent. Alcohol, then, is neither food 
nor drink. It satisfies the craving for food, but does 
not replenish the tissues. Although a liquid, instead 
of supplying the needs of the system for liquid food, 
it creates a demand and a necessity for more. 

15.—Alcohol Makes Bad Blood. 

Those who have maintained that alcohol is a food 
have made many experiments for the purpose of 
establishing their theory upon scientific grounds. 
By these experiments it has been found that the 
urine and other excretions contain less of the worn- 
out material of the tissues when a person is using 
alcohol than when he is abstaining. From this alone 
it is concluded that alcohol prevents the wearing out 
or disintegration of tissue—a most astonishing con- 
elusion. No one but a man stoutly prejudiced in 
favor of alcohol would think of forming such a con¬ 
clusion. A far more rational deduction from the 
premises would be that the presence of alcohol in 
the system 'prevents the excretory organs from elim¬ 
inating from the body the dead and poisonous 
products which result from the wearing out of the 
tissues. This conclusion would seem to be far more 
reasonable, since alcohol itself is a poison which is 
thrown out by the same organs whose proper func¬ 
tion it is to remove the debris of the tissues. These 
organs cannot perform more than a certain amount 
of labor. If most of their activity is expended in 
eliminating alcohol, of course they can perform less 
of their proper labor, and so the dead products of 



24 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


disorganization will be left to accumulate in the 
body, and produce a deceptive increase of weight. 
It is by this means that the drunkard often acquires 
a bloated appearance. Every one knows that such 
an accumulation of tissue is not healthy flesh; yet it 
is of the same character as that which leads some 
prejudiced scientists to pronounce in favor of alco¬ 
holic beverages as a preventive of waste. 

It is on account of this impure state of the system 
that the flesh of spirit-drinkers is notoriously so 
difficult to heal in cases of wounds, or surgical oper¬ 
ations. 

16.—Alcohol Destroys the Blood. 

When this fiery drug is taken into the stomach, 
it is soon absorbed into the circulation, where it 
comes in contact with the corpuscles of the blood. 
The effect upon these delicate and important struct¬ 
ures we can study by applying alcohol to the blood 
outside of the body; for the corpuscles will retain 
their life and activity for several weeks after being 
removed from the body, if placed under proper con¬ 
ditions. To make sure of no mistake about this 
matter, we will perform the experiment while we 
write. Our microscope, which will magnify one 
million times, being in readiness, we thrust a needle 
into a finger, and thus obtain a tiny drop of blood. 
Placing it upon a glass slide, we adjust it upon the 
instrument and look at it. Although the film of 
blood in view is so thin as to be transparent, it is 
crowded with beautiful bi-concave discs, the red 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


25 


blood corpuscles, each of which is perfectly formed, 
though only 1-3500 of an inch in diameter. Now 
we apply a drop of alcohol, a very tiny drop. Mark 
the effect. No sooner does it touch these little bodies 
than they begin to shrink, and soon lose all resem¬ 
blance to their natural appearance. In a short time 
they are seen to be breaking up into fragments; 
and in five minutes from the commencement of the 
experiment the once beautiful and symmetrical little 
bodies which compose one-half of the blood, are 
reduced to broken fragments and shapeless masses. 
They have been fairly cut in pieces and eaten up by 
the alcohol. 

The contact of alcohol with the corpuscles also 
causes them to lose their coloring matter, a very 
important part, as it is by means of this that they 
are enabled to perform their work as oxygen 
carriers. This effect may be observed in those 
which give no other evidence of injury from the 
alcohol. When taken in considerable quantity, it 
causes the corpuscles to adhere together in little 
bundles, thus occasioning obstructions of the capil¬ 
laries. 

“ But what harm does this do ? ” says the drunk¬ 
ard or the moderate drinker ; "the loss of a few 
blood corpuscles cannot be of any great consequence.” 
The ultimate effect is the same as though the supply 
of air was cut off from the lungs by a cord tightly 
drawn around the neck. The business of the red 
corpuscles is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the 
tissues. If they are destroyed, oxygen cannot be 




26 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


carried in sufficient quantity, and the blood becomes 
foul, being charged with large quantities of carbonic 
acid, the poisonous substance which ought to be 
replaced by oxygen. One of the quickest known 
ways of destroying life is to cause an animal to in¬ 
hale a poisonous gas known as carbonous oxide, 
which has the effect to paralyze all the blood corpus¬ 
cles. Alcohol does the same thing just in proportion 
to the quantity taken. 

17.—Alcoholic Degeneration. 

In addition to its effects upon the corpuscles, 
alcohol produces other serious changes. One of the / 
most important of these is coagulation or thickening 
of the fibrine of the blood, which occasions the 
formation of little clots which are swept along in the 
blood current until they reach the finest capillaries, 
where they are lodged, thus obstructing the circula¬ 
tion, and, according to the eminent Prof. Carpenter 
of England, constituting the first beginning of 
organic disease of the nerve centers and other impor¬ 
tant organs. These minute clots often constitute 
the cause of boils and troublesome abscesses ; and 
when they become large, as they sometimes do, they 
may produce instant death by the plugging up of a 
large artery in the brain, an accident which, there 
is every reason to believe, is not uncommon in cases 
in which large quantities of alcoholic spirits are 
taken. 

Alcohol also greatly increases the amount of fat 
in the blood, probably by preventing the changes 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


27 


necessary to the complete digestion or assimilation of 
fat. In consequence of this surplus of free fat in the 
blood, fatty degeneration of the heart, vessels, liver, 
kidneys, and in fact of every part of the body, is 
induced, the fat particles being deposited in these 
various organs in place of their proper tissue. 

It may be further objected that these changes do 
not occur unless very large quantities of alcohol are 
used. This, again, is an error. Dr. Carpenter is 
authority for the assertion that the changes in the 
corpuscles and in the fibrine of the blood take place 
when not more than one part of alcohol to five hun¬ 
dred of blood is employed. Thus it will be seen 
that the very weakest wines are unsafe, since none 
of them contain less than three to five per cent. 
Even small beer would be capable of doing mischief 
in this way. 

18.—A Drunkard’s Heart. 

When alcohol is taken into the blood, it soon 
comes in contact with the nerve centers which 
srovern the action of the heart. Its effect is the 
same as upon the other nerve centers. It paralyzes 
them, just as chloroform does the brain. Then the 
heart is like a steam engine without a governor, or 
a clock from which the pendulum weight has been 
removed. It runs down with wonderful rapidity. 
This effect is largely due, also, to the influence of 
alcohol upon the small blood-vessels, the nerves which 
control them becoming paralyzed, and they become 
dilated or relaxed, and so afford less resistance to the 



28 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


action of the heart, allowing it to beat too rapidly. 
This increased action is most unfortunately mistaken 
for increase of strength on the part of the organ, 
when it is mere increase of action, wasted force. 
The amount of extra work done by the heart under 
the influence of liquor may be readily estimated. 
Dr. Parkes, by a series of careful experiments, found 
that the pulse of a man whose heart beat about 
74 times a minute, or 106,000 times in twenty-four 
hours, when drinking only water, was, when under 
the influence of one ounce of alcohol per day, com¬ 
pelled to beat 430 times more in a day. Two 
ounces of alcohol per day caused an increase of 
1,872 beats a day. Four ounces required 12,960 
extra beats. Six ounces drove the pulse up to 
18,432 extra beats ; and eight ounces to 25,488 
unnecessary beats, or nearly one-quarter more than 
when taking only water. 

The results of this experiment are of great value. 
They show very clearly how alcohol wastes not only 
the force of the heart, but of the whole body. The 
force exerted by the heart at each beat has been 
variously estimated at from five to fifty pounds. 
Assuming ten pounds as the actual amount of force 
expended, we may readily ascertain the amount of 
force wasted through the increased action of the 
heart by different quantities of alcohol. Thus, one 
ounce of alcohol, with 430 extra beats, caused a 
waste of 4,300 pounds of force ; that is, of force 
equivalent to that expended in lifting 4,300 pounds 
one foot high in a minute. When two ounces were 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


29 


employed, the wasted force was 18,720 pounds. 
With eight ounces of the poison, the force wasted 
was 254,880 pounds, or more than 127 tons extra. 
When we consider how much labor would be recpiired 
to lift 127 tons of coal a foot high, or one-tenth of 
that amount ten feet high, the result seems almost 
incredible ; but there is neither reason nor opportu¬ 
nity for doubting the fact. Other observers have 
repeated the experiments, and with similar results. 
Dr. Richardson finds the results confirmed by his 
experiments upon animals. If the force of the heart 
should be taken at fifty pounds, as estimated by 
some of the most eminent physiologists, the results 
would, of course, be five times as great as those 
given. Dr. Parkes observed that after the conclusion 
of the experiment, five or six days elapsed before the 
young man recovered his natural condition, before 
the alcohol was fully eliminated, the heart in the 
meantime remaining weaker than natural, as shown 
by the sphygmograph. 

In a state of health, the heart is almost wholly 
composed of muscular tissue and blood-vessels. It 
is, in fact, a hollow muscle, by the contraction of 
which the blood is propelled into the remotest 
corners of the vital economy, carrying in its scarlet 
stream the elements from which the tissues are 
rebuilt. The amount of work performed by this 
little organ is enormous. The strength which it ex¬ 
erts in each contraction has been variously estimated 
by different experimenters, one of the lowest estimates 
being ten pounds for each beat or pulsation. As the 




30 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


heart beats on an average seventy-two times a 
minute, a little computation will show that the work 
of this little organ is equivalent to lifting the enor¬ 
mous weight of one million thirty-six thousand and 
eight hundred pounds, or more than five hundred 
tons, one foot high. The heart is frequently called 
upon to do a large amount of extra work, as in rapid 
walking, or running, lifting, or physical labor of 
any kind. Severe mental labor also brings an 
extra strain upon it, and its integrity is of the 
utmost consequence to the safety of the rest of the 
body. 

When alcohol is taken into the blood, it soon 
comes in contact with the nerve centers which govern 
the action of the heart. Its effect is the same as 
upon other nerve centers. It paralyzes them, just 
as chloroform does the brain. 

In addition to this, the fatty particles which are 
so abundant in the blood of a spirit drinker, are 
deposited in the walls of the heart in the place of the 
muscular tissue which should compose them. The 
walls are thus weakened, and are liable at any time 
to rupture. It is a fact well known to physicians, 
that this is one of the most common causes of heart 
disease. We have seen scores of cases of heart 
disease in the large hospitals of New York, the 
larger share of which were in persons addicted 
to the use of liquor. 

The pulse of a toper is so characteristic. It is 
weak, frequent, easily quickened even by very slight 
exercise, and very irregular. Alcohol has a direct 
depressing influence upon the heart, diminishing its 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


31 


power for work, and rendering it subject to both 
functional and organic disease. 

19. —The Whisky Flush. 

The local blood supply of the body is regulated by 
means of special nerves which follow the blood¬ 
vessels from the heart to their minutest distribution. 
One of the effects of alcohol is to paralyze the centers 
in which these nerves originate, the effect of which 
is to allow the vessels to become unnaturally dilated, 
allowing too much blood to enter various parts, thus 
occasioning congestions and even inflammations. In 
this way the lungs, liver, heart, or any other part of 
the body may become diseased. It is this which 
causes the drunkard’s face to flush ; and not only 
the face but the whole body, the brain, the liver, 
every vital organ, is in the same state of congestion. 
Is it any wonder that the toper feels depressed and 
enervated, and in need of a “pick me up” the next 
morning after a debauch ? or that he falls so easy a 
victim to causes of disease which others escape ( It 
was long ago observed that drunkards are the 
favorite victims of cholera, the plague, sunstroke, 
and other causes of speedy death. The system is 
prepared by the paralyzing influence of the drug for 
almost any form of malady to which human flesh is 
heir. 

20. —A Toddy Blossom. 

One of the signs of intemperance, which its victims 
put forth the most strenuous efforts to suppress, is 



32 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


that peculiar enlargement of the nose, with intense 
redness, so appropriately termed the “rum blossom.” 
The example given in the plate, though an extreme 
case, is no exaggeration, as it is a fac-simile of the 
‘‘blossom ” belonging to a somewhat popular politician 
in one of our Western cities. Like the drunkard’s 
ring, the rum blossom, although something of a 
blemish, is chiefly important in consequence of its 
significance, since it does not particularly interfere 
with the functions of the organ to which it is 
attached. The mode of development of the rum 
blossom is interesting. It may be best explained by 
reference to an experiment sometimes performed by 
physiologists upon lower animals. A white rabbit 
is generally selected for the experiment, which con¬ 
sists in dividing a certain nerve, which in a curious 
manner, not wholly understood, controls the circula¬ 
tion in the ear of the rabbit. The object of this 
nerve is to keep the blood-vessels of the rabbit’s ear 
in a state of proper contraction, thereby regulating 
the supply of blood. The moment it is divided, the 
blood-vessels relax, become filled with blood, and the 
ear blushes. This can be readily seen in the ear of 
the white rabbit, from the absence of coloring matter 
in its skin. By the removal of a portion of the 
nerve, so that the divided parts will not grow 
together again, the condition of blushing or conges¬ 
tion may be made permanent in the ear. When 
left in this condition for a few months, it is observed 
that the ear becomes much larger than that of the 
other side, the increased supply of blood having 
occasioned more vigorous growth, as shown on the 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


33 


plate. All other parts of the rabbit’s body, and of 
the human body as well, are supplied with nerves 
which regulate the circulation in each part. This is 
true of the face, the lungs, the stomach, the liver, 
the brain, and all other internal and external organs. 
Blushing or blanching of the face are occasioned by 
the influence of different emotions upon these nerves. 
The effect of alcohol is to paralyze these nerves, and 
when its frequent use occasions the almost constant 
paralysis and engorgement of the blood-vessels of the 
face and nose, more particularly the latter, it, like the 
rabbit’s ear, grows too fast, and by this means may 
acquire even as enormous a development as that 
shown on the plate. 

21.—The Drunkard’s Brain. 

The brain, when healthy, is so soft that it would 
not retain its shape but for the skull. The sharpest 
knife is required to cut it without mangling its 
structure. It is necessary to immerse the organ in 
alcohol for weeks or months in order to harden it, 
when a careful examination is essential. A drunk¬ 
ard’s brain presents a marked contrast. It is already 
hardened, pickled almost. In the dissecting room, 
it affords rare pleasure to a medical student to 
secure the desiccated brain of an old toper. A 
celebrated anatomist declared that he could tell a 
drunkard’s brain in the dark, by the sense of touch 
alone. A London physician reported a case in 
which he found, upon making a post-mortem exam¬ 
ination. so strong an odor of alcohol emanating from 





34 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


the brain, that he applied a match to it, when 
it burst into a flame. The quantity of alcohol in 
the brain is sometimes so great that it can be 
collected by distillation after death. 

It must not be supposed that every drunkard’s 
brain is as hard as a pickled one ; but it may be 
fairly supposed that the hardening effect of alcohol 
has no little influence in the production of degenera¬ 
tions of the brain, such as result in various forms of 
"progressive paralysis. Numerous functional disor¬ 
ders of the'* brain are also traced directly to the 
habitual use of alcoholic liquors. Locomotor ataxia, 
an almost hopeless malady involving the brain and 
spinal cord, is very often the result of intemperance. 

22 .—Alcoholic Apoplexy. 

The intense congestion of the brain induced by 
alcohol is the very condition in which apoplexy, 
or rupture of a blood-vessel, is most likely to occur. 
When the walls of the arteries have been weakened 
by fatty degeneration, as already explained, the 
danger is increased many fold. A peculiar condition 
of the eye, known as the arcus senilis , is often 
observed in drunkards. This condition acquires its 
name from the fact that it is often present in elderly 
people, in consequence of the degeneration which 
naturally occurs in old age. The ring is occasioned 
by a deposit of fat which is within the upper edge 
of the cornea, and can be seen, when present, by a 
careful examination of the eye. This ring is often 
present in persons addicted to the use of alcohol at a 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


35 


much earlier period than it should naturally make 
its appearance, and although it does not in the least 
injure the eye, its significance is very great, since it 
indicates that the deposit of fat by which it is pro¬ 
duced, is taking place in other parts of the body, as 
the brain, the heart, the blood-vessels, the liver, and 
other important vital organs. It is a sign hung out 
in the drunkard’s eye to warn others of the havoc 
which is being made within. 

It has been claimed that old persons require 
alcohol on account of the diminished activity of their 
vital functions. The facts above stated show clearly 
that in old age the danger of injury from the use of 
alcoholic drinks is very greatly increased. 

23.—Alcoholized Nerves. 

Who has not observed the trembling, unsteady 
hand of the man who has long been accustomed to 
the use of alcoholic liquors ? Often his shaking 
hand deposits a share of the poisonous dram upon 
the ground. If he is a mechanic, he cannot resume 
his work without a strong toddy to steady his hand; 
if an accountant, he must have a glass to clear his 
head. The condition, at first temporary, finally 
becomes permanent, and thus hopeless disease may 
originate. 

Alcoholic insomnia is a frequent form of nervous 
disturbance induced by drink. While alcohol at 
first acts in many persons as a soporific, its final 
effects are to produce inability to sleep ; or, if sleep 
is not wholly broken, a disturbed, unnatural, unre- 




36 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


freshing state of unconsciousness, hardly worthy of 
being called sleep, is induced. In natural sleep the 
supply of blood to the brain is greatly diminished, 
only a sufficient amount of the nutritive fluid circu¬ 
lating in the arteries to carry on the reparative work 
of the brain. Unconsciousness is due to this fact. 
A state of unconsciousness may also be produced 
by extreme congestion of the brain, a condition 
closely allied to that which just precedes apoplexy, 
this is the sleep of the drunkard. If he is not kept 
awake, through morbid, disordered action of the 
brain, due to an increased blood supply in its 
paralyzed arteries, he falls into an apoplectic slumber, 
in which he is haunted by horrid nightmares, goblins, 
ghosts, and frightful imagery, and awakes unre¬ 
freshed, unrecuperated. This unrefreshing sleep is 
produced by chloral and other narcotics, as well as by 
alcohol, a fact which shows the folly of attempting to 
lemedy the alcoholic disease by dosing the patient 
with other drugs equally bad if not worse. The only 
proper remedy is total abstinence, and this will 
usually eftect a cure, unless the condition of paralysis 
of the cerebral blood-vessels has been so long con¬ 
tinued that tho power of contraction cannot be 
restored to them. 

No class of persons are so subject to nervous 
diseases due to degeneration of nerves and nerve- 
centers as drinkers. The constant congestion of the 
brain and spinal cord occasions thickening of the 
membranes which inclose and protect these delicate 
parts, and gives rise to fatty degeneration and 






HEALTHY STOMACH. 



CONGESTED STOMACH OF MODERATE DRINKER. 


Plate 1 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


37 


hardening, which causes loss of function. The 
paralytic condition, which is at first temporary, 
existing only while the person is under the influence 
of alcohol, and manifested as partial or complete 
loss of muscular power, according to the dose, by 
degrees becomes permanent, as does also the loss of 
power to regulate or co-ordinate muscular effort, 
shown in the staggering steps of the drunkard. 
Partial or general paralysis, locomotor ataxia, epi¬ 
lepsy, and a host of other nervous disorders, are 
directly traceable to the use of alcohol. 

24.—The Drunkard’s Stomach. 

We have endeavored to mustrate by colored 
plates the contrast between a stomach affected by 
alcoholic disease and a healthy stomach. 

Fig. 1, Plate I., represents the healthy stomach. 
By the removal of the anterior wall of the stomach, 
the mucous membrane lining its interior is also 
shown. We would direct especial attention to the 
uniform rosy tint characteristic of the healthy state 
of this organ, in which digestion, one of the most 
important of the vital processes, is performed. A 
microscopical examination of the membrane shows 
it to be traversed by a dense net-work of blood¬ 
vessels, which are wholly invisible so long as the 
organ remains in a healthy condition. Little pock¬ 
ets are also found in which are located the peptic 
glands which form the gastric juice, the essential 
agent in the process of stomach digestion. 

In the small intestine below the stomach we have 




38 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


a similar arrangement of blood-vessels and glands. 
The condition of the stomach in health and disease 
is better understood than that of almost any other 
internal organ. This is true for two reasons : First, 
the stomach has been studied more than any other 
internal organ ; Second, the study of its condition 
has been carried on under more favorable circum¬ 
stances than that of any other internal organ. The 
stomach is a hollow organ, and physiologists and 
physicians have succeeded in making a permanent 
opening into its interior in some lower animals, 
through which they could watch the organ at work 
and study the effects of the various substances 
which were introduced through the mouth of the 
animal, or through the artificial opening. Accident 
has, in several cases, made the same observation 
possible in human beings. One of the most notable 
cases was that of Alexis St. Martin, an employe of 
the Hudson Bay Fur Company, who, in the early 
part of this century, received a gun-shot wound 
which carried away a considerable portion of the 
abdominal wall, and perforated the stomach. The 
wound healed in such a way as to leave a permanent 
opening into the stomach through which the process 
of digestion and the effects of various substances 
upon the stomach and digestion could be accurately 
observed for many years. Dr. Beaumont kept this 
man in his employ, making hundreds of observations 
upon his stomach, the results of which were published, 
and are considered among the most reliable and 
conclusive of all the observations which have been 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


39 


made upon this organ. Dr. Beaumont made a care¬ 
ful study of the effects of alcohol upon the stomach 
of Alexis St. Martin, who enjoyed a remarkable 
degree of health and vigor even after his accident, 
which seemed not to have interfered in the least 
with his general health after his recovery, as he 
lived to a great age in the enjoyment of almost 
uninterrupted health, his death occurring only a few 
years ago. 


STOMACH OF A MODERATE DRINKER, 

Fig. 2, Plate I., represents the condition of the 
stomach of a person accustomed to use alcoholic 
drinks in what is termed “ moderation ; ” as, for 
example, a man who takes regularly his glass of 
grog before breakfast, or at dinner, or a bowl of 
sling as a “night-cap.” The mucous membrane of 
the stomach is in a state of congestion. This 
congested condition was observed by Dr. Beaumont 
in the stomach of Alexis St. Martin whenever he was 
allowed to take alcoholic drinks, of which he was 
very fond, even in a moderate quantity. The effect 
of alcohol, as well as that of mustard, pepper, 
pepper-sauce, spices, and condiments, is to produce a 
state of excitement and irritation in the stomach, 
the result of which, when frequently repeated, is 
permanent congestion, and is the cause of numerous 
forms of dyspepsia. But alcohol does more than 
simply irritate the stomach. By its antiseptic 
influence it prevents the digestion of the food, and 







40 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


by its chemical properties it destroys the activity of 
the gastric juice, and so does triple mischief. 

STOMACH OF A HARD DRINKER, 

Fig. 1, Plate II., represents the actual state of 
things which has been found existing in the stomachs 
of persons accustomed to use alcoholic drinks daily 
in large quantities. The blood-vessels are dilated, 
as in the case of the moderate drinker, and in addi¬ 
tion small ulcers are seen scattered over the diseased 
surface. The stomach of an old toper might be in 
the condition shown by this plate without his being 
conscious of the fact, as the nerves of the stomach 
are so paralyzed by alcohol that their normal sensi¬ 
bility is quite lost. 

THE STOMACH IN DELIRIUM TREMENS, 

Fig. 2, Plate II., represents in a very faint degree 
the terrible condition present in the stomach of a 
victim of alcoholic poisoning, suffering with what is 
generally known as “delirium tremens/’ or acute 
alcoholism. The mucous lining of the stomach is in 
a state of intense inflammation, so that its functions 
are wholly suspended. In a case which we had 
under treatment a few years ago, we found the 
patient at our first visit suffering most intense 
nausea. He had been vomiting incessantly for more 
than two days. The smallest sip of water could not 
be retained upon the stomach. Great quantities of 
mucus were vomited, together with blood. During 
this attack the patient generally feels little pain. 









HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


41 


and often refers his symptoms to his stomach, since 

his sensibilities are so benumbed that he is unconscious 

& 

of 1 us real condition. Dr. Beaumont observed on 
one occasion when Alexis St. Martin had been drink¬ 
ing heavily for a few days, that although his 
stomach was in a state of inflammation and ulcera¬ 
tion, he was insensible of pain and felt no inconven¬ 
ience, only suffering from a severe headache. Post¬ 
mortem examination of persons who have died of 
delirium tremens usually discloses the stomach black 
with mortification. 

25.—Drunkard’s Dyspepsia. 

A drunkard is certain to become a dyspeptic. 
Alcohol tans the stomach, rendering 1 it inactive, and 
causing atrophy of the glands which form the gastric 
juice. The supply of this digestive fluid is thus di¬ 
minished. Alcohol precipitates the pepsin from the 
gastric juice, and so renders useless that which is 
secreted. Digestion cannot progress while alcohol is 
in the stomach, being delayed until the poison can be 
absorbed. 

St. Martin had been addicted to the use of liquor, 
and sometimes broke away from the restraints 
imposed upon him .by the doctor’s experiments, and 
indulged his appetite for alcoholic drink. After 
these occasions, Dr. Beaumont always noticed that 
the mucous membrane of the stomach was greatly 
congested. Even the use of a small quantity of 
alcoholic drink was sufficient to produce an inflamed 
appearance, while greater excess caused the stomach 
to present a surface swollen and roughened with 




42 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


inflammation, with ulcers and numerous black 
patches of deadened tissue. 9 

Notwithstanding this terrible condition of his 
stomach, St. Martin was scarcely conscious of any 
disturbance, and thought himself as well as usual ! 
Why was this ? Because the stomach has few 
nerves of general sensibility, and suffers long before 
it remonstrates. 

When long continued, alcohol produces worse 
effects ; it causes inflammation of the stomach, foul 
ulcers, and cancerous disease of the organ. Not 
long since, we saw in Bellevue Hospital, New York, 
a case of most violent gastritis produced by taking 
a small quantity of alcoholic drink. The patient 
was a woman, and for several days she was unable 
to retain any food in the stomach. Nutrition was 
maintained by nutritive enemata. The most obsti¬ 
nate cases of gastric ulcer are found in drunkards. 

26 .—Alcoholic Insanity. 

The condition of a man under the influence of 
liquor is precisely that of an insane man as regards 
his mind. When the act of getting drunk is fre¬ 
quently repeated, the condition of the mind induced 
by drink may become permanent, when the individ¬ 
ual is a fit subject for an insane asylum. 

Intemperance, more than any other cause, fills our 
lunatic and idiotic asylums. According to the 
statistics of insanity in France, thirty-four per cent 
of the cases of lunacy among males were due to 
intemperance. One-half of the inmates of the 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


43 


Dublin insane asylum owe their disease to the use of 
liquor. 

Lord Shaftesbury, chairman of the English Com¬ 
mission on Lunacy, in his report. to parliament, 
stated that six out of every ten lunatics in the 
asylums were made such by alcohol. 

27. —A Drunkard’s Liver. 

The appearance of a drunkard’s liver is character¬ 
istic. “Hob-nailed liver” is another name for the 
diseased organ as found in spirit-drinkers. It is 
shrunken, hard, and almost totally useless, insensible 
alike to pain and to proper sensibility. Externally 
it looks like the hob-nailed sole of an English cart- 
man’s shoe, from which resemblance it received its 
name. 

This kind of liver is found in those who have 
indulged in drink for several years. The livers of 
more moderate drinkers are found filled with fat. 

These derangements of the liver give rise to 
numerous other disturbances, of which abdominal 
dropsy is one common form. 

Diabetes, a very fatal malady, especially in spirit- 
drinkers, is a peculiar disease which is generally 
caused by some of these derangements of the liver. 

Fatty liver, in which the organ sometimes becomes 
enormously enlarged and changed to fat, and nut¬ 
meg degeneration, in which it comes to resemble the 
smooth surface of a lialf-grated nutmeg, are also 
among the common effects of alcohol upon habitual 
users of the poison. 



44 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


28. — u Bitters” and Biliousness,” 

An immense quantity of filthy compounds of 
bitter extracts and bad whisky or crude alcohol is 
annually consumed, much being swallowed even by 
people who profess to be total abstainers. The chief 
active ingredient in most of these nostrums is alcohol. 
Without this important ingredient, they would soon 
cease to be popular. They are supposed to possess 
some occult property by which the liver is persuaded 
to perform its functions more actively, when as a 
matter of fact they only increase its torpidity, 
finally bringing the deluded patient into a condition 
in which no sort of stimulation will produce even 
temporary relief from the many unpleasant symp¬ 
toms supposed to originate in a torpid liver. “ Bit¬ 
ters may be set down as a very active cause of 
“ biliousness.” 

29. —Beer and Bright’s Disease. 

The idea that beer is harmless because it contains 
but a small proportion of alcohol, lias been wholly 
refuted by the observation that Bright’s disease and 
other maladies of the kidneys are far more frequent 
among beer drinkers than among any other class of 
persons. The excessive amount of work imposed 
upon the kidneys by the use of the large quantities 
of beer generally indulged in by those addicted to 
its use, sooner or later results in congestion, from 
which there is but a slight step to acute or chronic 
inflammation, needing nothing more than a little 
extra fatigue or a severe cold to precipitate the im- 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


45 


pending and almost invariably fatal malady. Fatty 
degeneration of the kidneys is frequent among the 
users of beer, ale, and similar liquors; while those 
who habitually use stronger liquors, as gin, rum, 
whisky, or brandy, suffer with atrophy of the kid¬ 
neys. 

30. —Drunkards’ Dropsy. 

The bloated features of the sot indicate too plainly 
for mistake the dropsical tendency of the alcohol 
habit; and the ultimate effects of the poison upon 
the liver and kidneys, as already described, lay the 
foundation for one of the most incurable of all the 
forms of dropsy. We have seen many cases of 
dropsy induced in this way, and recovery, even un¬ 
der the most favorable circumstances, has been very 
rare indeed. 

31. —Alcoholic Consumption. 

Dr. Richardson points out the fact that alcohol^ 
instead of preventing, actually produces consump¬ 
tion, and of a most fatal type. He states that a 
person suffering from alcoholic phthisis shows no 
improvement under treatment. The disease, stead¬ 
ily, surely, and usually quite rapidly, progresses to 
a fatal termination. The disease is most liable to 
attack those who seem to be almost invincible to 
the effects of alcohol, and who are often pointed to 
as examples of fhe harmlessness of alcoholic drinks. 
The disease often makes its appearance just when 
the drinker, alas! too late, is making up his mind 
that the poison is really hurting him, and is think¬ 
ing of reforming. 





46 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


32.—Alcohol vs. Strength. 

The laborer, the traveler, and the soldier use alco¬ 
hol under the delusion that it strengthens. When 
fatigued, the laborer takes a glass of grog and feels 
better, or thinks he does. He imagines himself 
stronger. His increased strength, however, is 
wholly a matter of the imagination. 

The use of alcohol makes a man feel stronger—- 
makes him believe that he can do more work, en¬ 
dure more fatigue and hardship, and withstand a 
greater degree of cold than he could do without it- 
but when an actual trial is made, it soon becomes 
apparent that the ability is lacking. Feeling and 
doing are two wholly different things; and here is 
where alcohol is so deceptive. It is a narcotic, and 
paralyzes the nerves so that they lose their normal 
sensibility. The weary man takes a glass of brandy, 
and continues his toil,—not because he has been 
strengthened, not because his vital forces have been 
re-inforced, but because he no longer knows that he 
is tired. Weariness is an appeal for rest on the part 
of the tissues. They have become worn and broken 
by action, and they require time to repair them¬ 
selves. Alcohol has the same effect upon the nerves 
which control the building up of the body that 
chloroform has upon the nerves of general sensibil¬ 
ity, and it allays the sense of weariness in the same 
way that chloroform allays pain during a surgical 
operation,—by paralysis. A person whose hand has 
been renelcreel insensible to pain by intense cold may 
place his lingers in the fire without suffering at the 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


47 


time, but he is not thereby prevented from being 
burned, any more than though his sensibility was 
unimpaired; and the effects of the destructive action 
of heat will ultimately become painfully apparent. 

' When a man has labored until his tissues are so 
broken down that they demand time for reconstruc¬ 
tion, alcohol will so paralyze his sensibilities that he 
may continue laboring for a time, but he does so at 
a terrible cost; for he is all the time continuing the 
process of breaking down his tissues beyond the 
point at which nature warned him to desist. Not 
infrequently this reckless expenditure is continued 
so long that the life forces become so completely ex¬ 
hausted that the individual becomes a victim of 
delirium tremens, or perhaps dies from exhaustion. 

Numerous experiments have shown that alcohol 
decreases muscular strength. Says Dr. Brintou, 
“ The smallest quantity takes somewhat from the 
strength of the muscles.” Says Dr. Edmunds, of 
London, “A stimulant is that which gets strength 
out of a man.” 

33.—Alcoholized Muscles. 

Among the other degenerations produced by alco¬ 
hol, fatty degeneration of the muscles should be 
mentioned. This degeneration consists in a change 
of the proper -muscular tissue to fat. The process 
may involve all the muscles of the body, or simply 
a few^ as those of the heart and blood-vessels. It is 
an injury which can be in no way repaired, and 
must inevitably end in death sooner or later. 



48 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


34.—Stimulation Not Strength. 

If by a stimulant we are to understand something 
which imparts force to the body when weakened by 
disease, then it is evident that alcohol can be of no 
service in this direction ; for, as already shown, it is 
incapable of supplying force, undergoing no change 
in the body. All force arises from changes in 
matter. The forces manifested by the living system 
are the result of vital chano-es occurring in its 

o o 

tissues. 

If by a stimulant is meant something which 
excites nervous action, which calls out the manifes¬ 
tation of foree, then alcohol is certainly a stimulant. 
And it is in this sense only that it is a stimulant. 
The lash is a stimulant to a tired horse. It does not 
increase his force, or make him any less tired. It 
only compels him to use a little more of his already 
depleted strength. A goad, a spur, a red-hot iron, 
would have the same effect. So with alcohol. It 
arouses the vital instincts by its presence in contact 
with some of the tissues, and, in obedience to the 
law of self-preservation, the vital organs are excited 
to increased action for the purpose of expelling the 
poison. This increased activity is what is Called 
stimulation. Can it benefit a person already weak 
with overlabor? As just quoted, “A stimulant 
is that which gets strength out of a man.” Such a 
a process could not be very beneficial to a person 
already debilitated. 

But a weary man feels better after taking wine ; 
why is that the case ? Alcohol diminishes sensibility, 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 



as chloroform does. It is a narcotic. The man 
feels better after taking wine, because he does not 
know that he is weary, that his tissues need repair. 
If he continues to labor, he continues to wear out his 
tissues, and increases the necessity for rest, even 
though he may not know it. AV hen the narcotizing 
influence of the alcohol is removed, he will be made 
painfully conscious of the fact by a degree of pros¬ 
tration far greater than he would have suffered if 
he had taken no alcohol. 

35.—Alcohol vs. Animal Heat. 

The sensation of warmth produced by taking a 
glass of wine or brandy is delusive. The circulation 
is unbalanced, and for a few moments there is a 
seeming increase of heat ; but the thermometei 
shows that the temperature is lessened. Says Dr. 
Parkes, the eminent English sanitarian, ‘ ‘ All observ¬ 
ers condemn the use of spirits, and even of wine or 
beer, as a preventive against cold.” The names 
of Dr. King, Dr. Kano, Captain Kennedy, and Dr. 
Hayes, may be cited as holding to this opinion. In 
the last expedition in search of Sir John I ranklin, 
the whole crew were teetotalers. 

Prof. Miller states that the Russian military 
authorities “interdict its use absolutely in the army, 
when troops cure about to move under extreme cold, 
part of the duty of the corporals being to smell 
carefully the breath of each man on the morning 
parade, and to turn back from the march those who 
have indulged in spirits, it having been found that 
4 




50 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


such men are peculiarly subject to be frost-bitten 
and otherwise injured.” 

“ The Hudson Bay Company have for many years 
entirely excluded spirits from the fur countries to 
the north, over which they have exclusive control, 
‘to the great improvement,’ as Sir John Richardson 
states, ‘ of the health and morals of their Canadian 
servants, and of the Indian tribes.’ ”— Dv. CctTpcntcT. 

36.—Alcohol ys. Mental Power. 

Thousands of editors, lawyers, students, authors, 
and even clergymen, keep beside their midnight 
lamps a bottle of wine or brandy, and consider one 
as indispensable as the other. They imagine that 
with the frequent drams they quaff from that green 
bottle, they imbibe an increase of mental vigor. 
Thousands of lecturers, orators, and ministers, sip a 
glass of sparkling poison j ust before they step upon 
the platform. The first imagines that alcohol is 
necessary to enliven his energies and sharpen his 
memory. The second relies upon alcohol to burnish 
his eloquence. The third depends upon the jxfison- 
ous beverage to quicken his pious zeal, intensify his 
fervor, and lend him inspiration for the duties of his 
office. 

We might justly dwell upon the absurdity of such 
piactices, and well question the efficiency of a gospel 
shrouded with the fumes of alcohol ; but we will 
only quote the words of Dr. James Edmunds, of 
London, Eng. He says, in speaking of the narcotic 
influence of alcohol :— 

“ That is the effect when a minister, who cannot 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


51 


preach without a glass of wine, has a glass in him. 
He finds his tongue will run on a little faster than 
his brains would be able to drive it if he had not got 
the alcohol in him. I submit to you broadly that if 
you take a man with a single glass of wine or 
spirits in him—if you test that man’s mental accu¬ 
racy and real debating power, you will find that the 
man who has spirit in him won t do it as well as the 
man who does not use it.” 

37 .—Alcohol a General Disturber in the Vital 
Economy. 

Close upon the derangement of the stomach, which 
is certain to come sooner or later with all drinkers, 
follows nearly every other functional disease possible 
to the human system. Every organ is disturbed. 
The whole vital machinery is deranged. Strange 
noises are heard in the head, occasioned by the 
rushing of the hot torrent of poisoned blood through 
the distended blood-vessels of the head, which pass 
near the ear. Black spots and cobweb appearances 
annoy the sight. Alcoholic amaurosis or amblyopia 
comes on, and sight becomes impaired; sometimes 
blindness follows. The dilated blood-vessels of the 
skin become permanently enlarged, especially in the 
face and nose, and the drinker gets a rum blossom. 
Skin diseases of various sorts are likely to appear, 
particularly eczema of the fingers or toes, or on the 
shins. An unquenchable thirst seems to be ever 
consuming the blood, and nothing but alcohol will 
even temporarily assuage the desire for drink. Not- 



52 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


withstanding, large quantities of fluids will be taken, 
often amounting to several quarts a day, which 
overworks the excretory organs. 

The liver and kidneys are disturbed in their func¬ 
tions, one day being almost totally inactive through 
congestion, and the next rallying to their work and 
doing double duty. 

Every organ feels the effect of the abuse through 
indulgence in alcohol, and no function is left undis¬ 
turbed. By degrees, disordered function, through 
long continuance of the disturbance, induces tissue 
change. The imperfectly repaired organs suffer 
more and more in structure until the most extensive 
and disastrous changes have taken place. 

38.—Alcohol vs. Longevity. 

It is very easy to prove that the influence of alco¬ 
hol, as of every other poison, is to shorten life. Dr. 
Willard Parker, of New York, shows from statistics 
that for every ten temperate persons who die be¬ 
tween the ages of twenty-one and thirty, fifty-one 
intemperate persons die. Thus it appears that the 
mortality of liquor-users is five hundred per cent 
greater than that of temperate persons. These 
statements Avere based on the tables used by life 
insurance companies. 

Notwithstanding the constant protest of both 
moderate and immoderate drinkers that alcohol does 
not harm them, that it is a necessary stimulus, a 
preventive of fevers, colds, consumption, etc., and 
the assertion of certain scientists that it is a conserv- 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


53 


ative agent, preventing waste and so prolonging life, 
L he distinguished English actuary, Mr. Neison, has 
shown from statistical data which cannot be contro¬ 
verted, that while the temperate man has at twenty 
years of age an average chance of living forty-four 
and one-fifth years, the drinking man has a pros¬ 
pect of only fifteen and one-half years of life- At 
thirty years of age the temperate man may expect 
to live thirty-six and one-half years, while the dram- 
drinker will be pretty certain to die in less than 
fourteen years. 

39.—Moderate Drinking, Mild Poisoning. 

Moderate drinkers do not escape. “ Chronic alco¬ 
holism ” is the disease which fastens upon them, and 
its symptoms are as distinct as those of any other 
disease. Gout and rheumatism are the special pa¬ 
trons of the moderate topers, the wine-bibbers. 
Neuralgia is another comforter of small tipplers. 
General nervous debility and dyspepsia also find a 
great proportion of this class among their victims. 

It is quite useless for moderate drinkers to sup¬ 
pose that by using alcohol in sntall quantities they 
escape its evil effects. It is a poison in all doses. 
As Dr. Smith says, “ In whatever dose, the direction 
of the action of the alcohol must be the same.” 

Says Dr. Chambers, “ The action of frequent 
divided drams is to produce the greatest amount of 
harm of which alcohol is capable, with the least 

amount of good.” 

The effect of the constant action of a small quan- 




54 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


tity of the poison is far greater than that of excess¬ 
ive, but only occasional, quantities. Hence the 
habitual moderate drinker, even of wine, beer, or 
hard cider, is much more subject to chronic nervous 
disorders and degenerations of various sorts than the 
man who goes on a spree once in two or three 
months. 

40.—The Entailments of Alcohol. 

The drinker himself is not the only sufferer from 
his vice. Indeed, it seems in many cases that he is 
not the greatest sufferer. He may even live out his 
threescore years and ten, in apparent defiance of the 
laws of nature and the warnings of friends; but look 
at his children. Are they as strong and robust as 
he? Oh! no; instead, we often see them frail, nerv¬ 
ous, imbecile, idiotic,—poor specimens of the race. 
The iniquities of the father are visited upon the 
children. 

Dr. S. G. Howe attributed one-half of the cases 
of idiocy in the State of Massachusetts to intemper¬ 
ance, and he is sustained in his opinion by the most 
reliable authorities. Dr. Howe states that there 
were seven idiots in one family where both parents 
were drunkards. One-half of the idiots in England 
are of drunken parentage, and the same is true of 
oweden, and probably of most European countries. 
It is said' that in St. Petersburg most of the idiots 
come from drunken parents. 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


55 


Ten Scientific Arguments Against 
. Tobacco-Using, 


1.—The Custom is a Barbarous One. 

This statement is true, both as regards its char¬ 
acter and its origin. In the month of November, 
1492, when Columbus discovered the island of Cu¬ 
ba, he sent two sailors to explore it, who reported, 
when they returned, among many other strange and 
curious discoveries, that the natives carried with 
them lighted fire-brands, and puffed smoke from 
their mouths and noses, which they supposed to be 
the way the savages had of perfuming themselves. 
They afterward declared that they “ saw the naked 
savages twist large leaves together, and smoke like 
devils.” 

Tobacco-using, together with the implements for 
its use and all the different modes of taking it, origi¬ 
nated wholly with the heathen barbarians who 
roamed like wild beasts over the plains and through 
the dense forests of this continent four centuries ago. 
Civilized men have made no improvements or dis¬ 
coveries of any account in connection with its use; 
they have simply followed the example of those 
naked savages whom the discoverers of America 
saw chewing, snuffing, and smoking “ like devils 
almost four hundred years ago. It is evident, then, 
that tobacco-using is a barbarous custom in the 
fullest sense. 






56 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


It must not be supposed, however, that the world 
was conquered by this most pernicious and tyran¬ 
nical of vices without a struggle. The good, the 
wise, and the prudent everywhere opposed it. In 
most instances, kings and others in authority placed 
every obstacle in the way of its introduction and 
propagation, and even imposed severe penalties upon 
those who used the weed. 

2.—It is a Deadly Poison. 

The active principle of tobacco, that is, that to 
which its narcotic and poisonous properties are due, 
is nicotine , a heavy, oily substance which may be 
separated from the dried leaf of the plant by dis¬ 
tillation or infusion. The proportion of nicotine 
varies from two to eight per cent, Kentucky and 
Virginia tobacco usually containing six or seven 
per cent. A pound of tobacco contains, on an aver¬ 
age, three hundred and eighty grains of this deadly 
poison, of which one-tenth of a grain will kill a dog- 
in three minutes. A case is on record in which a 
man was killed in thirty seconds by this poison. 

The poison contained in a single pound of tobacco 
is sufficient to kill three hundred men if taken in 
such a way as to secure its full effect. A single 
cigar contains poison enough to extinguish two hu¬ 
man lives if taken at once. 

Very few users of the weed need to have a 
description of the effects of a moderate degree of 
poisoning with tobacco. The giddiness, nausea, and 
deathly sickness which follow the first attempt to 
use the poisonous drug, are indubitable evidence of 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 57 

the poisonous character of tobacco, which evidence 
is confirmed by the difficulty—in many cases very 
great—experienced in becoming accustomed to its 
use. In severe cases of poisoning, violent vomiting 
and purging, vertigo, deathly pallor, -dilatation of 
the pupil, a staggering gait, disturbed action of the 
heart, interference with respiration, and in extreme 
cases insensibility and syncope, are commonly ob¬ 
served. 

Dr. Richardson thus describes the condition of a 
person learning to smoke :— 

“The brain is pale and empty of blood ; the 
stomach is reddened in round spots, so raised and 
pile-like, that they resemble patches of dark Utrecht 
velvet ; the blood is preternaturally fluid ; the lungs 
are pale as the lungs of a calf, when we see them 
suspended in the shambles ; while the heart, over¬ 
burdened with blood, and having little power left 
for its forcing action, is scarcely contracting, but is 
feebly trembling, as if, like a conscious thing, it 
knew its own responsibility and its own weakness. 
It is not a beating, it is a fluttering heart ; its 
mechanism is perfect, but each fibre of it to its 
minutest part is impregnated with a substance 
which holds it in bondage and will not let it go.” 

3.—Effects of Tobacco on the Blood. 

When taken in any form, tobacco very readily 
finds its way into the blood, and, according to Dr. 
B. W. Richardson, it produces in the vital fluid very 
serious changes. He describes these changes in the 
following graphic words :— 




58 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


“ On the blood the prolonged inhalation of tobacco 
produces changes which are very marked in charac¬ 
ter. The fluid is thinner than is natural, and in 
extreme cases paler. In some instances the deficient 
color of the blood is communicated to the body 
altogether, rendering the external surface yellowish 
white and puffy. The blood, being thin, also exudes 
too freely, and a cut surface bleeds for a long time, 
and may continue to bleed inconveniently, even in 
opposition to remedies. But the most important 
influence is exerted over those little bodies which 
float in myriads in the blood and are known as the 
red corpuscles. These bodies have naturally a 
double concave surface, and at their edges a perfectly 
smooth outline. The absorption of fumes of tobacco 
necessarily leads to rapid changes in them ; they 
lose their round shape, becoming oval and irregular; 
and instead of having a mutual attraction for each 
other and running together, a good sign of physical 
health, they lie loosely scattered before the eye, and 
indicate to the learned observer, as clearly as though 
they spoke to him and said the words, that the man 
from whom they were taken is physically depressed 
and deplorably deficient both in muscular and mental 
power.” 

4.—Smokers’ Sore Throat. 

The redness and dryness of the mucous lining of 
the mouth and throat so common with smokers, is 
the result of the direct irritation of the hot fumes of 
the poisonous weed which are drawn in through the 
pipe or cigar. This cause of chronic disease of the 



HEALTH AND TEMPEKANCE. 


59 


throat is so very common that “smokers’ sore throat’ 
has come to be recognized as a distinct malady. 
Some smokers pretend to smoke for the cure of throat 
difficulties ; but the excuse is a mere pretense in 
most cases. Tobacco never cures sore throat. It 
may temporarily relieve local irritation, but can do 
no more, and always increases the disease. 

5. —Smoker’s Heart. 

The effect of tobacco upon the heart is indicated 
by the pulse, which is a most accurate index to the 
condition of the heart. The pulse of a tobacco-user 
says, in terms as plain as any words could, that his 
heart is partly paralyzed, that its force and vigor 
are diminished, that it is, in fact, poisoned. Old 
smokers, and not a few of those who have indulged 
but a few years, often suffer with palpitation of the 
heart, intermittent pulse, angina 'pectoris , and other 
symptoms of derangement of this most important 
organ. There is, in fact, a diseased condition of the 
heart which is so characteristic of chronic tobacco¬ 
poisoning that it has been very appropriately termed 
“narcotism of the heart.” Medical statistics show 
that about one in every four smokers has this condi¬ 
tion. There is good evidence for believing that not 
only functional but organic disease of the heart may 
be occasioned by the use of tobacco. 

6. —Smokers’ Cancer. 

There is no chance to doubt that tobacco-using is 
often a cause of this terrible disease. All em¬ 
inent surgeons testify that they frequently meet 




60 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


cases of cancer of the lip and tongue which have 
been occasioned by smoking. In the great hospitals 
of this country and Europe we have seen many 
cases of smokers’ cancer, besides a number which we 
have met in our own practice. 

7. —Tobacco-Users’ Dyspepsia. 

Notwithstanding the fact that tobacco is very fre¬ 
quently recommended as a sovereign remedy for 
dyspepsia, we have become convinced by careful 
observation in hundreds of cases, that it is never a 
cure, and is in hundreds of instances a cause of dys¬ 
pepsia. Tobacco is a narcotic. The effect of nar¬ 
cotics generally is to lessen the secretion of gastric 
juice, and to decrease the activity of the stomach. 
Tobacco does this in a very marked degree. A man 
who is hungry may appease his desire for food by 
using tobacco if he is accustomed to it, or by the 
employment of some other narcotic. The desire is ap¬ 
peased, although the want still exists. It is through 
this same paralyzing influence that tobacco impairs 
digestion. Snuff-taking occasions dyspepsia by pro¬ 
ducing irritation of the nasal mucous membrane, 
which affects the stomach through sympathy. 

8. —Nicotiiiizcd Nerves. 

Tobacco-users suffer much from nervousness, which 
is manifested in a great variety of ways. One per¬ 
son is easily startled, another is unnaturally irri¬ 
table, is cross and irascible; another cannot sleep at 
night; still another suffers with trembling of the 
hands, which greatly discommodes him in writing. 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


61 


In scores of cases we have seen these symptoms all 
disappear when the use of tobacco was discontinued. 
Temporarily, tobacco seems to give tone and strength 
and steadiness to the nerves, but the seeming strength 
is deceptive. It is purely artificial, and the ultimate 
effect is to increase the very difficulty which it seems 
to cure. 

We have often known wives and young children 
to suffer very severely from various nervous disor¬ 
ders which were wholly due to the effect upon their 
delicate organizations of the poisonous fumes of to¬ 
bacco which they received through the poison-laden 
exhalations of their smoking husbands and fathers. 

9.—Tobacco Paralysis. 

In the last thirty years there has been a great in¬ 
crease in the frequency of the occurrence of a pecul¬ 
iar form of paralysis which seems to affect especially 
the nerves that supply the muscles, causing gradual 
wasting and loss of muscular power, which is fairly 
attributable to the increasing use of tobacco, as it 
most often occurs in tobacco-users. 

A form of progressive paralysis of the optic nerve, 
causing “tobacco amaurosis,” or blindness, is Avell 
recognized by oculists. These cases generally re¬ 
cover when the tobacco is discontinued, and will not 
get well so long as it is used. 

Tobacco-blindness is very common in Ireland, 
where very strong tobacco is used. It is caused 
both by smoking and chewing. 

Color-blindness, an affection which is increasing to 



62 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


an alarming extent, especially in Belgium and Ger¬ 
many where smoking is more extensively practiced 
even than in this country, has been found to be 
largely attributable to the use of tobacco. This fact 
was first made known by an eminent Belgian physi¬ 
cian who made extensive investigations upon the 
subject at the request of the Belgian government. 

10.—The Tobacco Legacy. 

There is no vice or habit to which men are ad¬ 
dicted the results of which are more certainly trans¬ 
mitted to posterity than are those of tobacco-using. 
A vigorous man may use tobacco all his life, and be 
able to convince himself all the time that he is re¬ 
ceiving no injury; but the children of that man, 
who ought to inherit from him a vigorous constitu¬ 
tion and high health, are instead robbed of their 
rightful patrimony, and enter upon life with a 
weakly vital organism, with a system predisposed 
to disease and destined to premature decay. The 
sons of an inveterate tobacco-user are never as 
robust as their father; and the grandchildren, in 
case the children are tobacco-users, are certain to be 
nervous, weakly, sickly creatures. This fact we have 
verified in so large a number of cases that we make 
the statement fully prepared to maintain it by in¬ 
disputable facts. 

HOW TO CURE THE TOBACCO HABIT, 

We have been asked hundreds of times if there is 
not some antidote for the tobacco habit,—some sub¬ 
stance which can be taken or chewed in place of the 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


63 


narcotic drug, which will satisfy the craving of the 
user for his accustomed weed, and at the same time 
produce no injurious results ? We are obliged to 
reply to this oft-repeated question, that there is no 
antidote for tobacco which is not fully as bad as the 
drug itself. Anything competent to take its place 
must be, like it, a narcotic, and consequently inj uri- 
ous. In fact, the only really satisfactory antidote is 
a firm resolution to abandon its use at once and for¬ 
ever. Much can be done, however, to render the 
task of escaping from the toils of this narcotic tyrant 
much less distressing than it sometimes is in cases of 
persons who have been long addicted to its use. The 
following simple directions will be found of great 
value if carefully carried out:— 

1. Go about the matter of getting rid of the vicious 
habit resolutely and thoroughly. 

2. The majority of persons will be much more 
successful by abandoning the drug entirely from the 
start, and the sum total of suffering involved in this 
plan will be much less than if the attempt is made 
to gradually lessen the amount, as the last taste of 
the poisonous drug will be relinquished with as great 
reluctance as the much greater amount which was 
employed at first. 

3. A person who wishes to get a complete and rapid 
mastery over the tobacco-using hab’.t should make 
up his mind to devote a week or two to the business, 
if he has long been addicted to the weed, as in such 
cases the individual is quite unfitted for his regular 
business when the drug is first dispensed with. It is 



64 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


also desirable that he should place himself under 
favorable circumstances. He should avoid the society 
of persons addicted to the use of the drug, and avoid 
places where it is used or exhibited. This would not of 
course be necessary in all cases, only in cases of those 
who have become tobacco drunkards. A trip into 
the country, an excursion to the mountains, or some 
similar diversion affords a favorable opportunity for 
the relaxation and diversion sometimes essential to 
the success of the effort. 

4. The diet should be plain, simple, and unstimu¬ 
lating, but palatable and nourishing, during the try¬ 
ing ordeal. Indeed, this is just the sort of diet which 
should be taken at all times. The use of hot water 
is useful as a means of washing out the poisonous 
nicotine from the system, and so getting the tissues 
into a condition of freedom from the influence of the 
drug as quickly as possible. Two glasses of water 
should be taken one or two hours before each meal, 
and j ust before retiring at night. 

5. A hot-air bath, wet-sheet pack, Turkish bath, 
alcoholic sweat, or some other form of eliminative 
treatment, is also useful for the purpose mentioned 
in the preceding paragraph. 

6. When the patient is very nervous, he should 
drink two or three glasses of hot water, and have an 
application of hot water made to the spine, by means 
of flannel wrung out of water as hot as can be 
borne. Alternate hot and cold applications will be 
found of special benefit in relieving the nervousness 
produced in these .cases. 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


65 


PRACTICAL HINTS 

ABOUT HEALTH. 


“ Health is wealth ” is a trite maxim, the 
truth of which every one appreciates best after 
having suffered from disease. Indeed, health is 
a most priceless treasure. When deprived of it, 
we are willing to exchange for it everything else 
we possess; yet when well, we squander it ruth¬ 
lessly, disregarding the plainest rules of health, 
regardless of consequences. It is only when sick, 
and suffering the result of transgression of Nat¬ 
ure’s laws, that we begin to appreciate the value 
of health, and the importance of regarding care¬ 
fully the conditions upon which health depends. 

State and National Health Boards and Commit¬ 
tees certainly do excellent work for communities 
and nations; but the real influence which they 
exercise over the health of individuals is insignifi¬ 
cant when compared with that which may be, 
and indeed is, exercised by the matrons of the 
various households which make up villages, cities, 
and nations. City authorities may exercise a rig¬ 
id surveillance over all the avenues through which 
disease is known to enter; they may keep the 
public streets cleanly, introduce costly means of 





66 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


supplying water, and cause the removal beyond 
the suburbs of slaughter-houses, tanneries, soap¬ 
boiling establishments, and noisome chemical 
works; but if the seeds of death and disease are 
allowed to germinate and flourish in each sepa¬ 
rate dwelling, and around each fireside, what 
favorable results can be expected ? 

All reforms must begin at home, to be effect¬ 
ive; and we would urge upon all parents the 
importance of careful attention to the simple sug¬ 
gestions which are herein offered, by means of 
which they may be able to save themselves and 
their families from numerous illnesses, with their 
attendant inconveniences, expense, and suffering. 

Fresh Air. —From the first quick gasp of in¬ 
fancy to the last feeble sigh of old age, the prime 
necessity of life is air. Air is food for the lungs, 
as bread is food for the stomach. Millions more 
people die from want of lung food than from a de¬ 
ficiency of other aliment. The Creator has pro¬ 
vided the necessary article in generous abun¬ 
dance, fresh, pure, and free to all. If we do not 
get enough, it is our own fault, for when we close 
our doors and windows the closest, this vitaliz¬ 
ing, invigorating element is whizzing and howl¬ 
ing close around outside, seeking to find an en¬ 
trance. 

People who nail' up their windows, stop every 
crack and crevice in the walls, line the door cas¬ 
ing with felt, and fix a patent thing under the 
door as a sort of air-trap to catch the occasional 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


67 


whiffs of pure air which might otherwise get in, 
are barricading themselves against their best 
friend. A man who should so studiously and 
deliberately deprive himself of the means of pro¬ 
curing ordinary food, would be pronounced a 
suicide. Is he any less a transgressor—though 
ignorantly so—who deprives himself and his 
family of a still greater necessity, pure air ? 

The demand for pure air is the most impera-' 
tive of all the wants of the system. When de¬ 
prived of air, an individual will die sooner than 
from deprivation of any other of the essentials 
of life. A person may live several weeks with¬ 
out solid food of any kind, several such cases 
having been noted by eminent authorities. When 
deprived entirely of drink, life sooner becomes ex¬ 
tinct. But if an individual be deprived of air, 
death occurs in a few minutes. 

Sources of Impure Air.-^-Thc sources from 
which the air may become contaminated are so 
very numerous that we cannot dwell at length 
upon all of them in so concise a treatise as this. 
We can only notice some of the more common. 

Poisonous Gases. —Of the numerous poison¬ 
ous gases which mingle with the air we breathe, 
carbonic acid , or, more properly, carbon di-oxide, 
is the most common and abundant of all. This 
gas is heavier than air, and, consequently, it col¬ 
lects in such low places as deep wells, old cellars, 
caves, and deep valleys. It is produced by com- 



68 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


bustion and decay in vast quantities, and would 
soon accumulate to a fatal extent were it not for 
the fact that while it is a fatal poison to man, it 
constitutes a necessary food for plants. 

One important fact to be remembered respect¬ 
ing the properties of this gas is its want of odor 
when pure, so that its presence cannot always be 
detected by the sense of smell as can most poi¬ 
sonous gases. 

In Italy there is a curious cave, the bottom 
of which is covered with carbon di-oxide to a 
depth of about two feet. Travelers can explore 
the cavern with perfect impunity; but dogs or 
other small animals which accompany them, are 
quickly suffocated. 

This gas is produced in great volumes in the 
burning of lime, being driven off by the excess¬ 
ive heat. Cases of poisoning by this gas have 
occurred, in which persons have lain down to 
sleep beside the warm kiln and have been suffo¬ 
cated by the escaping gas. 

Amount of Carbonic-Acid Gas Produced .— 
This gas is formed within the body, and finds its 
way out through the lungs. An adult man pro¬ 
duces about seven gallons of the gas per hour. 
A gas-light produces several times as much. An 
ordinary candle produces quite a considerable 
quantity. Large quantities are produced in a 
stove or fireplace; but that which is generated 
in this manner is usually carried away with the 
smoke, and does not escape into the room. 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


69 


Oarbonous Oxide is an exceedingly poisonous 
gas which is formed by imperfect oxidation of 
the fuel, which is frequently the result of defi¬ 
cient draught. The gas is often found in air¬ 
tight stoves furnished with close dampers. One 
remarkable property of the gas is its penetrating 
power. It will pass directly through cast-iron, 
especially when it is heated. A few years ago a 
whole school were poisoned by this gas, several 
nearly to a fatal extent. It paralyzes the blood 
corpuscles, and thus renders respiration impossi¬ 
ble. It is a much more poisonous gas than car¬ 
bonic acid, and is fatal in much more minute 
doses. In the case of the school referred to, the 
teacher had turned the damper of the stove so as 
to cut off the draught while the stove was hot, 
and in a short time discovered that a large share 
of the students were falling into a state of stu¬ 
pefaction. This is a good illustration of the im¬ 
portance of always leaving sufficient draught to 
carry off the products of combustion. As this 
gas, like carbonic-acid gas, has no odor, it will 
only be detected by its effects. 

Sulphuretted Hydrogen is a still more poison¬ 
ous gas which frequently finds its way into the 
air which human beings breathe. Fortunately it 
has a very bad smell, the characteristic odor of 
rotten eggs, in which it is always present. This 
gas is developed wherever animal matter is un¬ 
dergoing decomposition. It is poured forth in 
volumes from cess-pools, sewers, gutters, drains, 




70 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


privy vaults, neglected cellars and cisterns, and 
every other place where animal substances are 
allowed to putrefy. It is this gas which gives 
to most decaying substances their offensive char¬ 
acter. In the gutters of back streets and alleys 
in our large cities, this gas is sometimes produced 
in such enormous quantities that its active chem¬ 
ical properties become very perceptible, as will 
be shown by the following anecdote related by 
a professor of chemistry in one of our State 
Universities:— 

“ A young lady who was entirely innocent of 
any knowledge of chemistry or chemical facts, 
emerged from an elegant mansion in New York 
City, fully equipped for an afternoon promenade, 
with face artistically painted a la mode. Her 
course, unfortunately, lay for a little distance 
through a portion of the city where the drainage 
was imperfect, and the air was consequently red¬ 
olent with that wonderfully pungent and active 
gas which is so characteristic of rotten eggs— 
sulphureted hydrogen. Of course the lady could 
not be unconscious of the presence of some nox¬ 
ious element in the atmosphere; but she was 
nevertheless wholly ignorant of its chemical prop¬ 
erties. Her ignorance did not, however, deter 
the gas from manifesting its most vigorous affin¬ 
ities for the lead paint upon her cheeks, of which 
she had abundant evidence as she stood before a 
mirror, upon her return home, and viewed the 
swarthy appearance of her countenance, which 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


71 


would have been very becoming to a representa¬ 
tive member of the African race.” 

Ammonia, Sulphurous Oxide, with various 
other noxious gases, find their way into the air 
in numerous ways, and exert a deleterious influ¬ 
ence upon the health. 

Germs. —Some of the most active and power¬ 
ful enemies of human life are those which are 
the most insignificant in size, and hence the most 
likely to escape detection. Wherever decay of 
either animal or vegetable matter is taking place, 
myriads of microscopic plants flourish in great 
luxuriance. These numerous species of fungi 
are generated by spores which float about in the 
air, and, finding lodgment in favorable places, 
develop in plants which, in turn, produce count¬ 
less numbers of other spores which quickly find 
their way into the air to repeat the same process 
elsewhere. 

It is the presence of these little germs which 
causes the fermentation of yeast and the “ rising ” 
of bread, together with the “ working ” of wine 
and cider, the “spoiling” of canned fruits and 
other preserved products, the souring of milk, 
and all kinds of decay and decomposition. 

The conditions required for the growth and 
development of these minute organisms are 
warmth and moisture. In the winter they are 
paralyzed by the cold; but so soon as the vernal 
sun appears, they spring quickly into life and 
activity. As before remarked, these little living 




72 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


particles fill the air. Sometimes, and in some 
places, the air is heavily laden with them; again, 
they are present in much more limited numbers. 
They are, of course, taken into the lungs with 
the air which is breathed, and thus they find en¬ 
trance into the system, and under certain cir¬ 
cumstances produce dangerous and fatal diseases. 
Beware of germs! 

Dust.— It is next to impossible to obtain air 
wholly free from dust. Its constant motion lifts 
and holds suspended little particles of various 
substances which are more or less injurious to 
health, unless the quantity is very small indeed. 
Some trades, as stone-cutting, coal-heaving, rag¬ 
picking, cotton and wool spinning and weaving, 
and other avocations which involve the produc- 
duction of considerable quantities of dust, expose 
the workmen to an atmosphere loaded with fine 
particles which are drawn into the lungs with 
every breath, and, finding lodgment there, may 
induce irritation and still more serious disease of 
those organs. By a wonderful provision of nat¬ 
ure, the finer particles of dust, if in smak quan¬ 
tity, may be wholly removed so that they will 
not pass down into the more delicate air-cells of 
the lungs. But if the quantity of dust is great, 
this provision fails to afford protection. 

The inhalation of dust is one of the causes of 
consumption. Post-mortem examination of the 
lungs of persons who had died from this cause 
showed the lungs to have acquired the color of 






HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


73 


the particles inhaled; and, in some cases, they 
contained so large a quantity of sand that they 
felt gritty to the touch. 

Great care should always be taken to avoid 
dust as much as possible. In sweeping carpets 
and dirty floors, a person is exposed to injury un¬ 
less some precaution, such as sprinkling the floor 
or moistening the broom, is taken to prevent fill¬ 
ing the air with dirt. There are very few peo¬ 
ple who would not turn with disgust from food 
which was filled with particles of coal or sand, 
covered with dust, and gritty to the teeth. Yet 
the same persons will take their gaseous food 
in precisely the same condition without re¬ 
monstrance. 

Organic Poison. —Gases, germs, and dust are 
most prolific sources of disease and death which 
attack man from the air; but there is yet an¬ 
other enemy of life more potent still, which lurks, 
too often unsuspected, in the air we breathe. 
Very little, indeed, is known of the real nature 
of this poison, since it has, in considerable degree, 
eluded the efforts of the chemist to submit it to 
analysis; but it is of organic origin, and hence 
is known by the term organic poison. This 
poisonous element is introduced into the air 
chiefly by means of respiration, together with 
exhalations from the skin. It is one of the most 
noxious poisons ever present in air. It will pro¬ 
duce death much sooner than most other im¬ 
purities found in the air. Experiments upon 





74 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


animals have shown that a mouse will die in 
a few minutes when confined in air heavily 
charged with this poison. 

The moisture which condenses on the inside 
of the windows of an occupied room in a cold 
day contains the poison in solution. If a little 
is collected in a vial and set away, it will soon 
become intensely fetid and offensive. It is this 
poison which gives to an unventilated room the 
close, fusty odor with which every one is famil¬ 
iar. One who has been long in the room will 
not observe it; but it is very distinct to a person 
coming in directly from the pure air outside. 

Malaria. The great curse of large areas of 
the most beautiful portions of our country is 
malaria. With reference to the exact nature of 
this cause of disease there has been a great 
amount of discussion. The most plausible theory 
is that advanced by Dr. Salisbury, of the Ohio 
Medical College, who claims to have demonstrated 
that the exciting cause of malarial disease is the 
spores of a certain species of fungi. According 
to this authority, the ague-plant flourishes in low 
grounds which are frequently submerged, but 
are covered with water but a portion of the time. 
It is well known that malarial diseases, as ague 
or intermittent fever, remittent or bilious fever, 
and typho-malarial fever, are most prevalent in 
just such localities as are favorable for the pro¬ 
duction of the so-called ague-plant. An unusually 
dry season is almost certain to be followed by 




V 


% 


HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 75 

an unusual number of cases of remittent fever 
and ague in the vicinity of marshes, mill-ponds, 
and shallow streams, the beds of which are ex¬ 
posed during the drouth. 

The malarial miasm is often carried several 
miles from its source, so that immediate proxim¬ 
ity to the latter is not necessary for contraction 
of malarial disease. Nevertheless, the observ¬ 
ance of a few precautions will greatly lessen the 
liability to the disease. The following hints will 
be found of service :— 

1. Avoid the vicinity of malarious districts 
during the evening and early morning, as the 
malaria settles nearer the surface of the ground 
at those times. 

2. Secure, if possible, a dense growth of trees 
between a malarious district and the residence, 
as the foliage of trees affords a very efficient bar¬ 
rier to the miasm. 

3. In case the above is impracticable, the same 
purpose may be accomplished, in considerable 
degree, at least, by planting between the house 
and the source of malaria a large area of sun¬ 
flowers, which are said to possess the power to 
destroy the malarial poison by the production of 
ozone. 

4. The liability to the disease may also be very 
greatly lessened by keeping the system in as free 
a condition as possible by avoiding such habits 
and such articles of food as will impair the func¬ 
tion of the liver, skin, kidneys, and other depu- 






76 PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 

rating organs. By this means the system may 
be enabled to eliminate the poison without oc¬ 
casioning disease. 

How to Ventilate. —The only way to get 
fresh air is to obtain it from out-of-doors, by ex¬ 
changing the foul air within for pure air without. 

How much fresh air do we need ? Every man 
needs enough to dilute the poison which he ex¬ 
hales sufficiently to render it harmless. To effect 
this, a quantity of air 5,000 times as great as the 
amount of carbon di-oxide produced, is required. 
In other words, 5,000 gallons of pure air are nec¬ 
essary to render harmless one gallon of carbon 
di-oxide. A man produces a gallon of this poison 
every twelve minutes, or five gallons an hour; 
hence, he requires 5,000 gallons of jiure air every 
twelve minutes, or 25,000 gallons each hour— 
more than 3,000 cubic feet. 

T o ventilate well, there must be two open- 
ings ; one at the bottom, and the other at the top 
of a room. What! shall we open the windows 
at top and bottom on a cold, wintry day ? Cer¬ 
tainly. Cold air is not poison. Plenty of air 
and a rousing fire are cheaper in the long run 
than foul air and less fire. 

But will not cold air produce colds, and lung 
fevers, and pleurisies, and consumptions ? Peo¬ 
ple do n t catch cold in open sleighs nor when 
walking in the wind. Draughts of cold air upon 
a small portion of the body only, will occasion 
cold ; but there need be no draughts. Avoid 
them in this way:— 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


77 


Make a strip of board, three or four inches 
wide, just the length of the window casing. Fit 
it beneath the lower sash. This makes an open¬ 
ing between the two sashes where they overlap. 
Here the air can enter, and being thrown upward 
toward the ceiling, it will be productive of no 
harm to any one. 

Another way : Lower a window at the top on 
one side of the room, and on the opposite side 
raise another a little at the bottom. Place a 
screen of fine netting in front of each, and the 
room will be pretty well ventilated without 
draughts. 

Unless a strong wind is blowing, the window 
should be lowered one inch for each occupant of 
the room. A window should be raised an equal 
amount upon the opposite side to allow a circu¬ 
lation of the air. 

The old-fashioned fire-place was a most effi¬ 
cient ventilator. It is a good omen that fire¬ 
places are again coming into use. The most 
fashionable parlors in the large cities are now 
heated by them. 

If flues are used in ventilating rooms, it is ab¬ 
solutely necessary that the air in them should be 
heated several degrees higher than that in the 
rooms, to secure a draught. There should be two 
openings into the flue; one near the ceiling to 
be used when necessary to change the air rapidly, 
and the other at the floor to be open constantly. 




78 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Simple Method of Ventilating Common 
Dwellings. —No expensive apparatus is necessary 
to supply an abundance of pure air to any dwell¬ 
ing. If a house is not quite completed, ventilat¬ 
ing shafts for conveying away the foul air can be 
provided by building the chimney of extra size, 
and with a partition, making two compartments, 
one to be used for ventilation, the other for con- 
veying away the smoke from stoves or fire-places. 
If a house is finished, which is the case in the ma¬ 
jority of homes, another provision has been made 
for ventilation. An arrangement may be made 
like that shown in the accompanying cut, which, 
though less elegant than more expensive ventilating 
arrangement, is none the less effective, if properly 
constructed. The figure represents a stove, one 
side of which is encased in a sheet iron envelope, 
J, which communicates by the pipe, P, with the 
outer air through the duct, B. Through this tun¬ 
nel the fresh air will enter freely, being warmed 
by contact with the heated surface of the stove; 
then, rising to the hot ceiling and passing to the 
outer sides of the room where it becomes cool, it is 
drawn up into the pipe, Y, through which it passes 
into the chimney, just below the opening for the 
stove-pipe. An arrangement of this kind can be 
put into any house, at an expense of from ten to 
twenty dollars, and will secure an ample supply 
v cf fresh air at all times, 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


79 



Simple Ventilating Appaeat^. 



























































































































































































80 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Tests for Bad Air. —1. Air with a bad odor 
is unfit to breathe. 

2. Air with a fusty odor is surcharged with 
organic matter, and dangerous. 

3. Carbonic acid, or carbon di-oxide, is the most 
easily detected of the ordinary impurities of the 
atmosphere, and is a pretty accurate gauge of the 
condition of the air as regards health. 

The most reliable authorities all agree that the 
proportion of carbonic acid should never be 
allowed to become greater than 6 parts in 10,000 ; 
hence it is important to be able to detect the 
presence of this gas, especially since, as before 
remarked, it cannot be readily detected by any of 
the senses. Fortunately, this may be accomplished 
by very simple means, the use of which requires 
only ordinary care. The materials required to 
perform the test are, a supply of perfectly clear, 
saturated lime-water, and four bottles or jars of 
different sizes, the sizes required being the follow¬ 
ing : one jar or bottle capable of holding exactly 
16 ounces, or one pint ; a second holding 10J 
ounces ; a third holding 8 ounces, or one-half 
pint ; and a fourth capable of holding 6^ ounces. 
The jars should have necks large enough to admit 
of perfect cleaning of the whole inside, and the 
greatest pains should be taken to remove every 
particle of dirt or dust from the inside as well as 
the outside, with water. To apply the test, fill 
the jar with the air to be tested. This may be 
done either by drawing the air out of the bottle 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


81 


through a straw or tube, or by filling it with pure 
water and letting the water escape. Great care 
should be taken in sucking the air out of the 
bottle that the breath be not allowed to enter. 
To determine the amount of carbonic acid present, 
use the smallest jar first. After filling it in the 
manner described, pour in a large table-spoonful 
of clear lime-water. Close the mouth with a 
clean stopper, and shake vigorously for a minute 
or two. If the lime-water becomes cloudy, car¬ 
bonic acid is present in the air in the proportion 
of 10 parts to 10,000. If it does not become 
cloudy, repeat the experiment with the next sized 
jar, or the half-pint jar. If the lime-water 
becomes cloudy in this, the proportion of carbonic 
acid is 8 parts in 10,000. This proportion may 
often be found in the rooms of dwelling-houses, 
and sometimes in crowded streets and narrow 
alleys. If the lime-water does not become cloudy 
in the jar of this size, the next size should be used 
in the same manner. The cloudiness appearing 
in this j ar indicates the presence of 6 parts in 
10,000. This is the largest proportion which may 
exist without actual danger to life. If no cloudi¬ 
ness appears without the employment of the 
largest jar, the proportion is only 4? parts of 
carbonic acid to 10,000 of pure air. 

6 










82 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


To Destroy Foul Odors. — Abundance of 
fresh air is the best deodorizer. There is no 
substitute for ventilation. Pure air washes away 
foul smells as water washes away dirt. One re¬ 
moves solid filth, the other gaseous filth. If the 
offensive body is movable, be sure to remove it. 
If not, apply something to destroy it. Several 
agents will effect this. 

If it can be safely done, set fire to the foul 
mass; or, if this is undesirable, heat it almost to 
the burning point. 

Apply very dry, finely pulverized earth. Clay 
is the best material. Finely powdered charcoal 
which has been freshly burned, is quite as good 
as earth. Dry coal or wood ashes are most excel¬ 
lent for disinfecting purposes. 

Make a solution of permanganate of potash, 
dissolving one ounce in a gallon of water. Add 
this to the offensive solid or fluid until it is col¬ 
ored like the solution. This is an excellent de¬ 
odorizer. It is needed in every household. A 
supply of the solution should be kept constantly 
on hand, ready for use. 

Copperas dissolved in water in proportion of 
one pound to the gallon of water is cheaper, and 
may be used when large quantities are needed. 
Apply it freely. 

Bromo-chloralum is a very good deodorizing 
agent, but is rather expensive. 

Chlorine gas, chloride of lime, ozone, and nu- 







The above cut is an illustration of a very common source of disease. 
At the left hand is shown a house, the inmates of which are being pois¬ 
oned by destructive gases (shown in blue) laden with disease germs which 
emanate from the cellar in which may be seen bins and barrels of de¬ 
composing vegetables, and the cesspool, filled with the accumulations of 
years. The foul gases and germs from the cellar find ready access to the 
rooms above through the open cellar door, and from the seething cess¬ 
pool they ascend to the house through the untrapped drain pipe which 
communicates with the sink. At the right hand may be seen a house 
which is protected from cesspool contamination by means of a trap in the 
drain pipe. As will be seen, the foul gases, represented by the blue color, 
pass up throngh the ventilating pipe into the open air, instead of being 
drawn up into the house through the kitchen sink. 


✓ 


PLATE XIX- 



















































HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


S3 


merous other agents, are effective when rightly 
used. 

Disinfecting Fluid.— The following is a recipe 
for one of the cheapest and most efficient disin¬ 
fecting fluids known:— 

Heat two pounds of copperas in an old kettle 
for half an hour, stirring frequently. When cold, 
dissolve the copperas in two gallons of water. 
Add two ounces of carbolic acid, and mix well 
together. A pint of this solution poured into 
the kitcken sink every few days will keep it free 
from odors. It will also be found very useful 
for disinfecting the discharges of typhoid-fever 
patients, for which purpose a little should be kept 
in the vessel constantly. Even privy vaults can 
be kept in a comparatively harmless condition 
by the liberal use of this solution. 

Cess-pools. —Drains, sewers, and cess-pools, 
connected with a house, are often sources of seri¬ 
ous disease. The kitchen sink is not unfrequently 
the door through which the germs of disease 
silently creep into a household and develop into 
disease and death, the cause of which remains a 
mystery, and is attributed to the inscrutable 
dealings of Providence. 

In the summer, draughts are produced in the 
room, which suck up the filthy gases which are 
formed in the cess-pool or sewer, through the 
drain-pipe—unless it is furnished with an effi¬ 
cient water-trap, which is not usually the case. 




84 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


In the winter, the gases of the cess-pool are nat¬ 
urally warmer than the air above, and so they 
rise and find their way into the house, filling it 
with invisible poison, which is breathed, and thus 
taken into the blood, by every occupant of the 
dwelling. Thousands of valuable lives are an¬ 
nually sacrificed in this way. 

How shall this evil be remedied ? In cities, 
the problem is a difficult one, unless sewers can 
be replaced by the dry-earth system. In the 
country and in small towns, it is easily cured 
thus:— 

Make the cess-pool some little distance from 
the house. Place in communication with it a 
wooden ventilating flue sixteen or eighteen feet 
in height, and four to six inches square inside. 
This will carry off the foul gases under ordinary 
circumstances, but it will sometimes be found in¬ 
efficient ; lieilce, a water-trap should be formed 
in the drain-pipe, just beneath the sink, by bend¬ 
ing the pipe so that it will retain constantly 
three or four inches of water. 

A still better way is to connect the drain-pipe 
with the chimney or stove-pipe, by means of a 
pipe of suitable size. This will secure ventila¬ 
tion of the drain ; and if the connecting pipe joins 
the drain-pipe just beneath the sink, the protec¬ 
tion will be perfect. All joints should be air¬ 
tight, and the outlet from the sink should be 
plugged tightly when there is no fire in stoves 
communicating with the chimney. 





Showing a not infrequent condition of affairs. The cesspool in close 
proximity to the cistern, contaminates it by the drainage of its foul con¬ 
tents through the porous soil, so that both become sources of disease and 
death. The well located in the barn-yard for convenience, and near the 
privy vault, receives the foul drainage from both ; while from the same 
foul source poisonous gases arise and carry disease and ieath to the un 
suspecting inmates of the house close by. 


PLATE TTT „ 
























HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


85 


Another valuable precaution is this: Pour into 
the sink, two or three times a week, a gallon of 
water in which a pound of copperas has been 
dissolved. A few crystals of copperas kept con¬ 
stantly in the sink could do no harm. It is very 
cheap when bought by the quantity. 

A new cess-pool should be made at least once 
a year, or the old one should be thoroughly 
cleaned. 

Under the House.—Many families who won¬ 
der why “ some of the children are sick all of 
the ti m e,” can find the cause underneath the flooi. 
Nearly all houses have cellars. Here are stoied 
all sorts of things for winter use—dead things 
and live things, articles to eat and fuel to burn, 
old boxes and barrels, heaps of coal, bins of veg¬ 
etables, etc., etc. The coal and wood are contin¬ 
ually sending up foul gases and germs. Many 
of the vegetables undergo decay, and add greatly 
to the production of disease elements. 

Besides the cellar there is usually an open 
space under the other portions of the house, be¬ 
tween the foundation walls. This space is large 
enough to admit chickens, dogs, cats, rats, even 
pigs, and other small animals, but not sufficiently 
large to allow room for clearing it. Here various 
small animals find a hiding-place, and often die. 
Being out of sight and reach, they are not dis¬ 
covered even when the stench of then decaying 
bodies becomes distinctly manifest. 





86 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


All the foul gases engendered in these various 
ways pass upward into the house, filling every 
room, condensing in fetid moisture upon the 
walls, and poisoning all who breathe in the 
house. What shall be done ? 

Cellars under a house are rather prejudicial to 
health, even at best. As they are commonly 
used, they are very greatly so. If there must 
be cellars beneath the house, they should be 
large, light, and well ventilated. Every week, 
at least, the cellar windows should be opened 
wide to allow free change of air. A good way 
to ventilate a cellar is to extend from it a pipe 
to the kitchen chimney. The draught in the 
chimney will carry away the gases which would 
otherwise find their way into the rooms above. 

Cellars should be kept clear of decaying veg¬ 
etables, wood, wet coal, and mold. The walls 
should be frequently whitewashed, or washed 
with a strong solution of copperas. The impor¬ 
tance of some of these simple measures cannot 
well be overestimated. 

Houses should be built so high above the 
ground that the space beneath can be easily 
cleared every few months. 

Moldy Walls. —Many people who do not ap¬ 
preciate the importance of sunshine as they 
should, allow mold and mildew to accumulate 
upon their walls in damp weather, especially in 
nooks and corners that will be unobserved, never 
thinking that any harm will come from so do- 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


87 


ing. Such are ignorant of the fact that each 
patch of mold is a forest of myriads of little 
plants which are constantly throwing off into 
the air myriads of germs to be inhaled by the 
occupants of the house. In ancient times, col¬ 
lections of fungi of this sort were looked upon 
as matters of such serious import as to render a 
house wholly unfit for habitation until it had 
been thoroughly cleansed. A house with moldy 
walls was said to be affected with the plague of 
leprosy, and if the discolored, moldy spots re¬ 
curred after having been thoroughly cleansed 
away, the house was abandoned and torn down. 
No one was allowed to occupy it unless every 
trace of the mold could be wholly removed. A 
tithe of the same care now would save thousands 
of deaths annually. 

Privies. —As ordinarily constructed and man¬ 
aged, these necessary institutions are most pro¬ 
lific sources of disease. The animal excretions 
which are left to accumulate in them undergo 
still further putrefactive changes, which result 
in the development of the most pestilential germs 
and gases. Here is where the terrible typhoid 
poison originates. Deep vaults should never be 
allowed under any circumstances. 

The best way to manage a privy is this : Early 
in the spring fill up the old vault, if there is one, 
even with the surface. Raise the building a 
little. Have made at the tin-shop a sufficient 
number of pans of thick sheet-iron. The pans 





88 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


should be about two feet square, and two inches 
and a half deep. Each should be furnished with 
a long bail, and a strong handle at one side about 
a foot in length. In using these pans, fill each 
half full of fine, dry dirt—not sand—or ashes, 
and shove it into position, allowing the bail to 
fall back upon the handle behind. By the addi¬ 
tion of a little dry dirt several times a day, all 
foul odors will be prevented. The contents of 
the pans ought to be removed every night in the 
warmest weather of summer, the pans being re¬ 
placed with a fresh supply of dry earth. Dur¬ 
ing cooler weather, if little used, the pans will 
require emptying but once a week, if they are 
kept well supplied with dry earth. The con¬ 
tents of the pans may be buried or removed to a 
proper place at a distance from any dwelling. 

For convenience, it is found to be an excellent 
plan to hire a scavenger to attend to the pans at 
regular, stated times. Fifteen or twenty in a 
community can unite on the same plan, and thus 
make the expense very slight for each. 

About the first of December, the pans may be 
removed and a shallow vault dug. The vault 
should not exceed two feet in depth, and it 
should not be tightly inclosed. This will allow 
the contents of the vault to freeze. They may 
be removed several times during the winter, and 
should be kept covered with dry dirt, which 

should be procured in sufficient quantity in the 
fall. 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


89 


Sunshine. —In caves, mines, and other places 
which are excluded from the light, plants do not 
grow, or,, at most, they attain only a sickly de¬ 
velopment. The same is true of animals. In 
the deep valleys among the Alps of Switzerland, 
the sun shines only a few hours each day. In 
consequence, the inhabitants suffer terribly from 
scrofula and other diseases indicative of poor nu¬ 
trition. The women, almost without exception, 
are deformed by huge goiters, which hang pend¬ 
ant from their necks unless suspended by a sling. 
A considerable portion of the males are idiots. 
Higher up on the sides of the mountains, the in¬ 
habitants are remarkably hardy, and are well 
developed, physically and mentally. The only 
difference in their modes of life is the greater 
amount of sunshine higher up the mountain side. 
When the poor unfortunates below are carried 
up the mountain, they rapidly improve. 

Throw open the blinds and draw aside the 
window curtains. Never mind if the carpets do 
fade a little sooner. The pale cheeks will acquire 
a deeper hue, and the sallow skins will become 
of a more healthy color. % 

A sitting-room ought to be on the east or south 
side of a house, so that sunlight will be plentiful. 
House plants will not thrive in a north room. 
Women and children, who live mostly in the 
house, thrive no better in such a situation than 
plants. Sleeping-rooms should be aired and 
sunned every day. 




90 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


House Plants iu Sleeping-Rooms.— The sup¬ 
position that house plants are injurious in sleep¬ 
ing and sick-rooms is a popular error. It is com¬ 
monly supposed that plants draw the vitality of 
the patient, or poison the atmosphere in some 
way. This is wholly an error, if we except a few 
of the more strongly scented plants, which emit 
a somewhat poisonous odor, or which might in 
some cases he unpleasant to the senses of a nerv¬ 
ous patient. Plants cannot draw vitality from 
animals. Indeed, they are the one great means 
which make human life possible; for if they did 
not purify the air, all animals would quickly 
perish. 

Plants inhale carbon di-oxide during the day, 
and exhale oxygen. During the night, they in¬ 
hale carbon di-oxide the same as in the daytime, 
but exhale a part of it again, along with the 
oxygen. They purify the air, then, during the 
night, but less than during the day. 

A mouse and a growing plant can live together 
in an air-tight box. Alone, either one would 
die; together, they both thrive. Plants purify 
the air for human beings as well as for mice. 

Plants also remove impurities from the air by 
means of the ozone which they produce, which is 
one of the most powerful disinfectants known. 
The laurel, hyacinth, mint, mignonette, lemon- 
tree, and fever-few are among the best ozone- 
producing flowers. 

The cheerful aspect which flowers give to a 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


91 


room, and the pleasant recreation which their 
care affords, are not the least of the advantages 
to be derived from them. 

Beds and Bedding. —A cold, damp, musty 
bed has cost the world many a valuable life. The 
“ spare bed ” is a genuine terror to traveling min¬ 
isters, and school-teachers who board around. A 
night spent in one of them is a certain cause of 
cold, headache, sore lungs, sore muscles, and stiff 
joints the next day. Never sleep in a room 
which has been unused for weeks, unaired, un¬ 
warmed, and secluded from sunlight, until the 
bedding, at least, has been thoroughly aired and 
dried, and the air of the room thoroughly changed 
by ventilation. Never offer such a room for the 
accommodation of a guest without treating it in 
the same way, unless it is desired to make him 
sick. 

Feather-beds are very unhealthful. They not 
only undergo a slow decomposition themselves, 
thus evolving foul and poisonous gases, but they 
absorb the fetid exhalations from the body which 
are thrown off during sleep. By constant ab¬ 
sorption, the accumulation soon becomes very 
great, and the feather-bed becomes a hot-bed of 
disease. Hair, cotton, straw, or husk mattresses 
are greatly superior to feathers from the stand¬ 
point of health. 

Do n’t cling to the old feather-bed because it is 
an heir-loom. The older it is, the worse it is. 
Only think of the amount of diseased germs 



92 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


which must he stowed away in a sack of feathers 
which has done service during a hundred years 
or more ! Subject to all the accidents and emer¬ 
gencies of domestic life it has, perhaps, carried a 
half-dozen patients through typhoid fever, and 
pillowed the last months of the gradual dissolu¬ 
tion of a consumptive, besides being in constant 
use the balance of the time. 

Barnyards. —The close proximity of barnyards, 
hen-coops, and hog-pens to human dwellings is 
a frequent cause of serious and fatal disease. 
The germs which are developed in the filth 
abounding in those places, together with the 
noxious gases constantly arising from the de¬ 
composing excreta, are productive of disease 
when received into the system. Often, indeed, 
the well from which the family supply of water 
is obtained, will be located only a few feet from 
a reeking barnyard, or, as we have more than 
once seen, the well will, for convenience, be lo¬ 
cated within the yard itself. In consequence of 
the proximity, the water of the well will be con¬ 
taminated by the soluble filth which percolates 
down through the porous earth and finds its way 
into the underground veins of water by which 
the well is fed. 

Notwithstanding all these dangers, there are 
people who, incredible as it may seem, still hold 
to the absurd idea generated in the Dark Ages, 
when the streets of every city were one immense 
reeking cess-pool, that foul smells originating in 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


93 


the filthy ordure of horses and cows possess 
some healing properties. Not long ago when we 
appealed to a man to clear his barnyard, which 
had become a positive nuisance, being not more 
than half a dozen feet from the threshold of a 
dwelling-house, he retorted that he had always 
been informed, and as he thought by good au¬ 
thority, that a barnyard smell was the “ health¬ 
iest kind of a smell,” and was “ especially good 
for consumptives ” If there is such an absurd 
error prevalent, it ought certainly to be corrected. 
No foul, noxious odor can be of any possible ad¬ 
vantage to the health. Barnyards should be 
located at least forty or fifty rods away from the 
dwelling, and wells should be located nearly as 
far removed from such sources of poisoning, to 
insure against water contamination, which is one 
of the most common causes of typhoid fever. 

Cleansing Sick-Rooms.— A room which has 
been long occupied by a person suffering from 
chronic disease, or by a fever patient, or a case 
of small-pox or other contagious disease, ought 
to be very thoroughly cleansed before being oc¬ 
cupied by others. The means by which this may 
be most efficiently done are these:— 

1. Take out the windows, and give the great¬ 
est possible freedom to ventilation. 

2. Remove the old paper from the walls, and 
bum it. Wash the bare walls with a solution of 
copperas, and then apply whitewash to the ceil- 




94 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


ing. Cleanse the wood-work with a solution of 
chloride of lime. 

3. Remove the carpet from the floor, the bed¬ 
ding from the beds, and every other fabric in 
the room, and thoroughly disinfect them before 
replacing. 

4. The most thorough and simple method of 
disinfecting a sick-room after it has been vacated 
by the patient is the following : Measure the 
room, and ascertain its cubic contents by multi¬ 
plying the length, breadth, and hight together. 
For every thousand cubic feet of air to be disin¬ 
fected, procure three pounds of sulphur. Mix the 
sulphur with an equal quantity of charcoal. 
Place the mixture in an old iron kettle, set the 
kettle on bricks in a tub or large pan partly filled 
with water, and set fire to its contents. The 
burning mixture of charcoal and sulphur should 
be placed in the center of the room, which should 
be at once shut up closely, so that the fumes of 
the sulphur may be retained. As a practical 
method of sick-room disinfection, this is probably 
the best of any which has been devised. 

After twenty-four hours the room should be 
opened and thoroughly ventilated. 

Disinfecting Clothing .—Clothing which has 
been exposed to contamination by contagion, if 
of little value, should be destroyed. If more 
valuable, it may be disinfected in any one of 
several ways. 

1. Heat in an oven as hot as possible without 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


9o 


scorching, for an hour or two. A temperature 
of 250° will do no harm. 

2. If the clothing is uncolored, or colored with 
mineral dyes, soak a few minutes in a solution of 
fresh chloride of lime of the strength of one 
pound of the chloride to a pailful of water. Aft¬ 
erward boil. 

3. Soak for half an hour in boiling water to 
which carbolic acid has been added in proportion 
of an ounce to the gallon of water. Boil again 
in pure soft water, to remove the smell of the 
acid. 

4. Expose for several hours in a close box to 
the fumes of burning sulphur. Air thoroughly 
afterward and wash. 

Sick-Room Disinfection.— In such diseases 
as typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera, yellow 
fever, and diarrhea, the bowel discharges should 
be instantly disinfected, and then removed as 
soon as possible. To do this readily and 
promptly, a strong solution of permanganate 
of potash or copperas should be kept con¬ 
stantly in the chamber vessel, so that the 
bowel discharges may be disinfected imme¬ 
diately. Carbolic acid, chloride of lime, and 
other odorous disinfectants, are offensive to the 
patient, and should not be used. Most thor¬ 
ough ventilation should be secured constantly. 
A little management will protect the patient 
from cold draughts, and there will be no danger 



90 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


of exposing him to cold, if he has the care of an 
attentive nurse, even if the ventilation is the 
most thorough. 

House -Cleaning. —The semi-annual house¬ 
cleaning, although not a pleasant experience, is 
just as necessary as the original building of the 
house. Some important things are often over¬ 
looked in the general hurry and confusion. 

The closets, garrets, clothes-rooms, stairways, 
and similar places need* thorough renovation as 
well as more conspicuous rooms. The steam and 
gases from the kitchen find their way into all 
parts of the house, and are absorbed by the por¬ 
ous walls, or condense upon the wood-work. If 
not removed, they become sources of disease. 
The spare bedroom and parlor must not be neg¬ 
lected on account of having been little used, for 
the same reason. 

Wood-boxes are too often neglected until the 
rubbish at the bottom becomes exceedingly foul, 
and occupies so much space that there is little 
room for anything else. Wet, souring, ferment¬ 
ing bark and chips, decaying apple cores, moldy 
leather, and similar elements which usually oc¬ 
cupy a considerable portion of wood-boxes, con¬ 
tribute largely to the production of many febrile 
diseases. * 

New wall-paper should never be put on over 
old. The fresh paste, by its moisture, causes the 
fermentation of the old paste and the production 
of foul gases from the colors of the paper and the 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


97 


impurities which have been absorbed. If the 
old paper contained arsenic, the danger is in¬ 
creased tenfold, as arseniureted hydrogen is 
formed, one of the most fatal gases known. 
House-cleaning is one of the most important 
parts of domestic labor, and should not be trusted 
wholly to ignorant servants. It should be done 
under the constant supervision of an intelligent 
and thorough-going person. A little neglect to 
examine and thoroughly cleanse every nook and 
corner may result in the sacrifice of a human 
life. Too much importance cannot be attached 
to the necessity of care and painstaking in this 
matter. 

Every dwelling should be thoroughly cleansed 
at least twice a year. Old carpets with their 
accumulated dust should be taken up and thor¬ 
oughly beaten and cleansed, bed-ticks should be 
refilled if straw is used, every bed should be 
carefully examined for vermin, and a general 
renovation should take place. 

Poisonous Paper. —Many cases of poisoning, 
some of which were fatal, have been traced to 
the arsenic contained in several of the colors of 
wall-paper. The most dangerous color is green. 
It is almost impossible to find a green paper 
which does not contain arsenic. Green window 
curtains are especially dangerous. The green 
dust which can be rubbed off from them is dead¬ 
ly poison. In rolling and unrolling the curtain 

it is thrown into the air and is breathed. The 

7 





98 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


same poison is brushed off the surface of arsen¬ 
ical wall-paper into the air by the rubbing of 
pictures, garments, etc., which come in contact 
with it. 

It is very easy to test papers of this kind be¬ 
fore buying, and it would be wise always to take 
this precaution. Take a piece of the paper 
and pour upon it strong aqua ammonia over a 
saucer. If there is any arsenic present, this will 
dissolve it. Collect the liquid in a vial or tube, 
and drop in a crystal of nitrate of silver. If 
there is arsenic present, little yellow crystals 
will make their appearance about the nitrate of 
silver. Arsenical green, when washed with aqua 
ammonia, either changes to blue, or fades. 

Poisonous Aniline Colors. —Red flannel, 
stockings, and hat linings, and the striped stock¬ 
ings which have recently become fashionable, 
have occasioned serious poisoning in numerous 
cases. The aniline dyes with which they are 
colored are used in connection with arsenic, 
which is not wholly removed by the manufact¬ 
urers. 

Hair Dyes and Cosmetics. —Any number of 
“ Hair Dyes,” “ Hair Vigors,” “ Hair Renewers,” 
“ Hair Tonics,” and various other compounds for 
application to the hair with the object of restor¬ 
ing its color or promoting its growth, have been 
invented during the last ten years. Many of 
these mixtures claim to be purely vegetable, and 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


99 


harmless. This is untrue of any of them. They 
contain, almost without exception, a very large 
amount of mineral poison. Lead, silver, and 
sulphur are the most common ingredients. The 
effects of applying such articles to the head are 
very serious. A few of the more prominent are 
the following:— 

Headache, vertigo, irritation of the scalp, apo- 
P le ^y> congestion of the brain, nervousness, sleep¬ 
lessness, paralysis, and insanity. Numerous in¬ 
stances of all of these maladies have occurred as 
the result of using “ hair dyes.” 

Gray hair is no disgrace. The healthful growth 
of the hair can be promoted by daily friction 
with cool soft water much better than by any 
quack lotion. 

Cosmetics are equally dangerous. We have 
seen hopeless paralysis of the extensor muscles of 
the fore-arm, causing wrist-drop, produced by 
the use of paints for improving the complexion. 
Young ladies have destroyed their usefulness for 
life by this foolish practice. Lead colic is anoth¬ 
er result of the use of paints, many of which con¬ 
tain lead. Beware of them. 

Hygiene of the Eyes.— These, the most deli¬ 
cate of the organs of sense, are often ruined by 
abuse. With good usage they will “ last a life- * 
time. It is necessary to observe the following 
rules, to preserve the health of the eyes:— 

1. Never use the eyes when they are tired or 



> » 




100 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


painful, nor with an insufficient or a dazzling 
light. Lamps should be shaded. 

2. The light should fall upon the object view¬ 
ed from over the left shoulder, if possible; it 
should never come from in front. 

3. The room should be moderately cool, and 
the feet should be warm. There should be noth¬ 
ing tight about the neck. 

4. Hold the object squarely before the ejes, 
and at just the proper distance. Holding it too 
near produces near-sightedness. Fifteen inches 
is the usual distance. 

5. Never read on the cars, when riding in a 
wagon or street-car, or when lying down. Seri¬ 
ous disease is produced by these practices. 

6. Do not use the eyes for any delicate work, 
reading, or writing, by candlelight, before break¬ 
fast. 

7. Avoid using the eyes in reading when just 
recovering from illness. 

8. Never play tricks with the eyes, as squint¬ 
ing or rolling them. 

9. If the eyes are near-sighted or far-sighted, 
procure proper glasses at once. If common print 
must be held nearer than fifteen inches to the 
eye for distinct vision, the person is near-sight¬ 
ed. If it is required to be held two or three feet 
from the eye for clear sight, the person is far¬ 
sighted. 

10. A near-sighted person should not read with 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


101 


the glasses which enable him to see distant ob¬ 
jects clearly. 

11. Colored glasses (blue are the best) may be 
worn when the eye is pained by snow or sum 
light, or by a dazzling fire or lamplight. Avoid 
their continued use. 

12. Never patronize traveling vendors of spec¬ 
tacles. 

13. Rest the eyes at short intervals when se¬ 
verely taxing them, exercising the lungs vigor¬ 
ously at the same time. 

Keep Clean. —The skin, the superficial cover¬ 
ing of the whole body, everywhere abounds in 
little mouths, or openings, called pores. There 
are more than 2,000,000 of these openings upon 
the surface of the body. Each one is the exter¬ 
nal orifice of a capillary tube which acts as a 
kind of sewer to convey away dead, effete, and 
decomposing matter from the body. Each of 
these purifying organs is constantly at work un¬ 
less its mouth gets obstructed in some way. 
They are especially active in the summer season 
when the weather is warm, pouring out large 
quantities of perspiration in which the offensive 
matters are held in solution. 

Now let us see what takes place if we pay no 
attention to the natural clothing with which we 
have been kindly provided. The sweat or in¬ 
sensible perspiration, with a load of impurities, 
is poured out of 2,000,000 little sewers, upon the 
surface of the body. The watery portion evapo- 




102 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


rates, leaving behind all the foul matter which it 
contained, which adheres to the skin. This is 
what occurs the first day. The next day an 
equal quantity is deposited in the same way, 
making, with the previous deposit, a thin film of 
dirt covering the skin. The third day the quan¬ 
tity has augmented to the consistency of var¬ 
nish. The fourth day the person becomes com¬ 
pletely encased in a quadruple layer of organic 
filth. By the fifth day, fermentation begins, and 
an unsavory and pungent odor is developed. 
The sixth day adds new material to the accumu¬ 
lating pollution, and still further increases the 
intensity of the escaping effluvia. Upon the 
seventh day a climax of dirtiness is reached. The 
penetrating, pungent fetor becomes intolerable. 
The person feels as though he had been bathed 
in mucilage or molasses. When he approaches 
his more cleanly friends, they look around to see 
if there is not some fragment of carrion adher¬ 
ing to his boot. But the individual himself is 
unconscious of any unpleasant odor, his nose hav¬ 
ing become accustomed to the stench; or if he 
recognizes it, he flatters himself that as no one 
can see the condition of his cuticle, he will es¬ 
cape detection. Vain delusion. Every person 
whose organ of smell is not wholly obliterated 
by snuff or catarrh, will single him out as quick¬ 
ly as a dog detects the exact locality of a wea¬ 
sel. 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


103 


In the winter, one or two general baths each 
week will usually be sufficient to keep a person 
decently clean. But during the hot weeks of 
summer, a daily bath is indispensable. Two or 
three times a week, plenty of soap and water 
should be employed. On other days, a light 
sponge or towel bath will answer. A large quanti¬ 
ty of water is not always absolutely necessary. A 
person can take a very refreshing and useful bath 
with a soft sponge and a pint of water. Such a 
bath can be taken anywhere without the slight¬ 
est danger of soiling even the finest carpet. A 
simple air bath is better than none. 

Cold bathing is not recommended. Robust 
persons may stand it very well, but it is injuri¬ 
ous to invalids, and to any one if long continued. 
The best temperature for most persons is about 
blood heat. 

Are not baths weakening? The weakening 
effect ^f a simple application of a little water to 
the surface of the body is not one-tenth as great 
as that from carrying about constantly a load of 
dirt upon the skin which not only prevents the 
elimination of impurities from the blood, but is 
actually absorbed into the system again. A bath 
is refreshing, soothing, and strengthening, if prop¬ 
erly taken. 

Tight-Laced Fissure of the Liver. —We once 
found in Bellvue Hospital, New York City, a 
woman who was suffering under a complication 



104 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


of maladies which evidently had their origin in 
the foolish practice of tight-lacing to which she 
had been addicted. On making an examination 
of the internal organs, we were amazed to find 
the liver presenting itself just above the hip 
bone, its normal position being entirely above 
the lower border of the ribs. Further examina¬ 
tion revealed the fact that in about the middle 
of the organ there was a constriction, or fissure, 
nearly dividing it in two, which had been pro¬ 
duced by habitual lacing. The function of the 
organ had been so greatly interfered with that 
it had failed to remove the biliary elements from 
the blood, and they had been largely deposited 
in the skin, making the latter anything but 
beautiful, although the woman was not advanced 
in years, and was naturally fair. Thousands of 
young ladies have cut their livers nearly in two 
in the same way. No wonder that they require 
rouge and French chalk to hide their «tawny 
skins. 

Thin Shoes. —Illy-clad feet are not infre¬ 
quently the cause of very serious disease. A 
tight shoe prevents the proper circulation of the 
blood in the foot, causing it to become cold. If 
the shoe or boot is thin, the foot is still further 
chilled, and the blood which circulates with diffi¬ 
culty through it is sent back to the internal or¬ 
gans with a temperature much below that re¬ 
quired for health. Exposure to cold causes the 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


105 


blood-vessels to contract so that less blood can 
circulate through them. Thus, one evil creates 
another. Thin soles, being insufficient protec¬ 
tion against wet, allow the moisture of damp 
walks to reach the feet, making them wet as 
well as cold. When the extremities are chilled, 
the internal organs and the brain become con¬ 
gested, too great a quantity of blood being crowd¬ 
ed into them. This is the chief origin of the 
headaches from which school girls suffer so much, 
but which are usually attributed to study. 

Keep Warm. —Fashionable dress totally dis¬ 
regards every consideration but novelty and dis¬ 
play. Fashion loads the shoulders and chests of 
ladies and girls with warm shawls, cloaks, and 
furs, surrounds the abdomen with ten to fourteen 
thicknesses of cloth, and imprisons the hands in 
an enormous muff, but leaves the limbs and 
ankles exposed to chilling blasts almost without 
protection, while they actually need more cloth¬ 
ing than any other part of the body. 

The whole body should be clad in soft flannel 
from neck to wrists and ankles nearly the year 
round. It is better to have the under.-clothing 
for the upper part of the body and that for the 
limbs combined in one garment. If arranged in 
two garments, they should only meet, and not 
overlap, as this gives too much additional heat 
over the abdominal organs. A woman’s limbs 
require as many thicknesses as a man s; and a 



10G 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


garment which fits the limb closely will afford 
four times the protection given by a loose skirt. 
Thick shoes or boots with high tops, and heavy 
woolen stockings which are drawn up outside 
the under-garments clothing the limbs, complete 
the provision for warmth. Leggins should be 
worn in cold weather. 

Squeezed to Death. —Not long ago a young 
lady went to bed without removing her corset, 
as she wished to grow small. When morning 
came, her friends found her a lifeless corpse. 
Thousands of young ladies are killing them¬ 
selves in the same way. They may not die as 
suddenly, but they are dying as surely. 

If any young lady who wears a corset could 
see the terrible havoc which it makes among her 
internal organs, she would be ready to desist 
from so foolish and harmful a practice. If the 
opportunity were afforded her, she would see her 
stomach squeezed out cf shape and position so 
as to resemble much more a dog’s than a human 
stomach. She would find her lungs compressed 
so that the blood could circulate with freedom 
through only a small portion, while the heart 
must struggle to its utmost to secure even a par¬ 
tial circulation. The large and small intestines 
she would find all jammed down into a heap in 
the lower part of the abdomen, where they do 
not belong, crowding upon the most delicate 
organs of her whole body, displacing and other¬ 
wise injuring them. 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


107 


Any young woman who can deliberately com¬ 
mit all of these assaults against her physical 
frame while knowing the consequences, is guilty 
of a crime different from that of the suicide only 
in degree. 

Night Air. —A general prejudice exists in the 
world against night air. In part it is justifiable ; 
but much of it is unfounded. There is only one 
kind of air in the night, and that is night air. 
The air in the house is night air as much as that 
out of doors. All the air we breathe comes from 
the outside. If the windows and doors are shut, 
it crowds in through the cracks and chinks. It 
makes very little odds, then, whether we breathe 
night air in-doors, or out-of-doors, except that it 
is rather purer in the latter situation. In many 
localities night air is purer than day air. 

Hygienic Agencies.—Nature has not pro¬ 
vided agents by the use of which the penalty 
of transgression of her laws may be evaded ; 
but there are certain natural agents, the proper 
employment of which will preserve health. If 
a person becomes diseased by neglecting to thus 
use these health-promoting agents, the only 
proper, and most efficient, way in which to re¬ 
cover from disease is to commence at once to do 
that which has been neglected. Thus it is that 
those agencies which are promotive of health 
and life become remedies for disease. 

As might be supposed, from the foregoing, the 



108 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


most potent remedies must be those agents 
which are the most essential to the maintenance 
of life and health. Among these, the following 
are the chief :— 

Air, water, food, clothing, exercise, rest, cheer¬ 
fulness, sunlight, and electricity. 

Air. —Pure air is the first and the last desid¬ 
eratum of hump life. Individual life begins 
with the first breath, and ends with the last act 
of respiration. A human being lives largely in 
proportion as he breathes. Frogs and lizards are 
sluggish because they breathe little. Birds are 
more vigorous in their movements because of 
the wondrous capacity and activity of their 
lungs. So with human beings. Need we sug¬ 
gest that those feeble-minded creatures who em¬ 
ulate each other in compression of the waist— 
thus curtailing their breathing power—are like 
frogs and lizards in their capacity for appreciat¬ 
ing the “joy of living ” ? -or that their organs of 
cerebration may be as small as their waists ? 
Has a man consumption ? Let him live in the 
open air ; he cannot breathe enough. Thou¬ 
sands of patients die in hospitals for want of 
fresh air. God’s oxygen is the best tonic known. 
Fill the sick-room with it; the patient’s chances 
for recovery will be thereby increased fourfold. 
Its disinfectant and deodorizing properties are 
unsurpassed. All it requires is unrestrained ac¬ 
tion. 






HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


109 


Water. —This limpid fluid constitutes three- 
fourths of the whole weight of the human body. 
The brain, the organ of thought, contains a still 
larger proportion. Its value as a curative agent 
is in direct ratio to its importance in the struct¬ 
ure of the body. Water is valuable, 1. To di¬ 
lute the blood, being the only drink ; 2. To 
cleanse the body from impurities within and 
without; 3. As the most efficient means of ap¬ 
plying heat and cold in the various forms of 
baths. Nothing relieves thirst like water. 
Nothing will regulate the temperature of a 
fever patient so effectually as water applied in 
the form of a cool pack. In relieving the coma 
of narcotic poisoning, apoplexy, sun-stroke, and 
lightning stroke, cold affusion is more potent 
than all other remedies combined. No salve, 
liniment, plaster, ointment, or medicated lotion 
is equal to pure soft water as a dressing for 
wounds. Water—hot, warm, tepid, cool, cold, 
or iced—is useful at the proper time. 

Food. —“ As a man eateth, so is he.” A loaf 
of bread, eaten, digested, assimilated, becomes 
flesh. A pound of pork, treated in the same 
way, also becomes flesh. The first becomes pure, 
healthy flesh ; the second becomes gross, diseased 
flesh. Lord Byron appreciated this fact when 
he declared that he “ felt himself grow savage ’’ 
whenever he partook largely of animal food. 
If a man has filled himself with grossness, so that 



110 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


his liver is clogged, his stomach and bowels tor¬ 
pid, all his vitals congested, and his life-current 
sluggish, the best and only remedy is to “ mend 
his ways ” at once and adopt the diet which nat¬ 
ure indicates is best. In this way thousands of 
wretched dyspeptics and hypochondriacs have 
sought and found their squandered health. Try 
it, reader. 

Clothing .—The absurdities of fashionable 
dress are too glaring to require exposure. All 
admit the need of reform, but few have moral 
courage to break Dame Fashions shackles. To 
the pinioned, corseted, panniered, fettered, drag- 
ged-down, tied-back, gasping, dying daughter of 
Fashion, who would scarcely be conscious of liv¬ 
ing except for the aches, pains, nerves, neural¬ 
gias, stifled sighs, palpitations, and hysterics 
which make up her wretched existence, what an 
emancipation is offered in a dress which clothes 
the body equably from head to toe! gives 
perfect liberty of action to every muscle! al¬ 
lows room for a deep inspiration and a vigorous 
heart-beat! removes from the hips those cum¬ 
brous, dragging weights, and unfetters the lower 
extremities ! 

Exercise. —Life is activity. Stagnation is 
death. This is true everywhere. It is this 
alone that makes the difference between the 
sparkling brook, and. the slimy pool; the bloom¬ 
ing flower, and the withered shrub; the labor- 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


Ill 


er’s brawny arm, and the student’s flaccid mus¬ 
cle. Few men die of excessive brain-work; 
many die from lack of muscle-work. Proper 
exercise is a powerful remedial agent. 

Rest. —During sleep is the time when nature 
converts her work-shop into a repair-shop, mend¬ 
ing broken nerve fibers, replenishing wasted 
muscles, repairing tissue cells, and renovating 
worn-out particles. When the body is wasted 
by disease, how much of this work there must 
be to be done ! and how important that sleep be 
afforded as a prerequisite for its accomplish¬ 
ment ! 

Cheerfulness. —“ Laugh and grow fat ” is an 
old adage. Laugh and get well would be just 
as true. Indeed, the remedial power of a hearty 
laugh is sometimes greater than that of any drug 
in the materia medica; and its salutary effects 
have often saved the life of a failing patient. 
“ A merry heart doeth good like a medicine ” is 
good “ Bible hygiene.” 

Sunlight. —Sunshine paints the skies, colors 
the leaves, and tints the flowers. Under its 
genial influence all nature thrives. It surpasses 
all other agents in restoring a natural color to 
the blanched and ghostlike faces of long-housed 
invalids. Sun-baths are powerful remedies for 
disease if rightly used. 

Electricity.—This subtle agent, which flashes 



112 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


in the thunder cloud, and quivers in a drop of 
dew, is equally potent for good or evil. When 
rightly used, its curative value is immense ; but 
it has fallen, unfortunately, almost entirely into 
the hands of quacks, who not only do much in¬ 
jury by injudicious applications, but bring disre¬ 
pute upon it by claiming for it that which is 
palpably absurd, as that it is the “ nervous fluid,” 
“ vital force,” “ life force,” etc. 


Food and Diet, 

A MAN is made of what he eats. Good food 
and drink make good blood; and good blood is 
manufactured into healthy brains and strong 
bones and muscles. Poor food and improper 
drinks make poor and foul blood, which, in turn, 
is made into equally poor brains, bones, and mus¬ 
cles. 

Those who pay no attention to the character 
of their food, but hurry into their stomachs, in¬ 
discriminately, food which is good, bad, and in¬ 
different, are sooner or later admonished by dis¬ 
ease and suffering that the way of the transgres¬ 
sor is hard, and that nature’s laws are inexora¬ 
ble. America is known abroad as a nation of 
dyspeptics. This unfortunate condition is the 
result of the universal disregard of dietetic rules 
for which our countrymen are notorious. At- 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


ns 


tention to a few plain principles would save 
many thousands of lives annually. A large num¬ 
ber of the most fatal acute diseases have their 
chief cause in errors of diet. 

Poor Food.— Impoverished food is that which 
does not contain all the elements of which the 
body is built up in proper proportion. Perhaps 
the poorest article of food in common use in this 
country is fine-flour bread. The miller removes 
the very best and most nutritious portion of the 
wheat by the process of bolting; for the gluten 
which nourishes brain and muscle is deposited 
around the outside of the grain, just beneath the 
horny covering, or bran. In the center of the 
grain is found almost nothing but pure starch, 
which is so incapable of sustaining life that even 
a dog will starve to death in a short time if fed 
upon it exclusively. 

Of such material nearly all American bread is 
made. Most other nations are wiser in this re¬ 
spect than we. The sturdy German eats his 
black bread made of the whole grain with a keen 
appetite, and it makes his muscles firm and his 
sinews strong in spite of the pernicious influence 
of his favorite lager beer. 

Wheat-meal or graham bread is incompara¬ 
bly sweeter, richer, cheaper, and healthier than 
that made of the superfine, bolted, impoverished 
article. 

Condiments. —Every day a hundred thousand 

8 



114 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


dyspeptics sigh and groan in consequence of 
condiments. Pepper, spice, salt, vinegar, mus¬ 
tard, and all kinds of fats belong to the list of 
dyspepsia-producing articles known as condi¬ 
ments. All the works on diet define a condi¬ 
ment as an article which adds nothing to the real 
nutritive value of food. It is simply something 
which is added to make food taste better. Wheth¬ 
er the food does taste better or not does not de¬ 
pend upon the condiment, but upon the taste of 
the eater. If his taste is unperverted, he likes 
food best without condiments. If his taste is 
perverted, he may like almost any kind of un¬ 
natural combination. A Frenchman is as fond 
of assafoetida in his food as an American is of 
salt, or an East Indian of curry powder. 

Condiments are innutritious and irritating. 
They induce a heated condition of the system 
which is very unfavorable to health. They clog 
the liver, imposing upon it a great addition to 
its rightful task. Worst of all, they irritate the 
digestive organs, impairing their tone and de¬ 
ranging their function. A little practice soon ac¬ 
customs a person to the disuse of condiments, 
and he learns to relish his food better without 
than with them. 

Facts about Salt. —It is a general supposition 
that salt is indispensable as an article of diet. 
Many people suppose that life cannot be sus¬ 
tained without it: nevertheless there are nu- 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


115 


merous facts which indicate that this popular 
supposition is erroneous. The following are a 
few of the many that might be presented:— 

1. Salt is a mineral . It is a well-established 
fact that animal life cannot be sustained by the 
use of inorganic or mineral substances as food. 
Vegetables subsist upon inorganic matter, while 
animals require organized matter for their food. 

2. Salt is an irritant. And when taken into 
the system it produces irritating effects. This is 
indicated by dryness of the throat, and accelera¬ 
tion of the pulse. 

3. When taken into the system it is not used, 
being expelled, unchanged, by the liver, kidneys, 
skin, and other depurating organs. 

4. It is an antiseptic. And when taken in 
any considerable quantities it greatly interferes 
with digestion. 

5. It is not necessary to support animal life , 
as shown by the fact that its use is confined to 
a very small minority of the animal kingdom. 

6. It is not necessary to sustain human life , 
as is conclusively shown by several facts: a. 
Scores of people who have been accustomed to 
its use have wholly discarded it, not only with¬ 
out detriment to their health, but with positive 
improvement, h. Millions of human beings in 
Central and Southern Africa, in South America, 
in some portions of North America, in Siberia, 
and in other parts of the world, subsist entirely 
without salt. c. This is not altogether because 



116 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


salt cannot be obtained ; for in Southern Africa, 
where salt abounds, neither human beings nor 
lower animals make any use of it whatever. 

We would not recommend that salt should be 

« 

wholly discarded in all cases-; but there can be 
no doubt that many cases of diseases of the stom¬ 
ach and liver originate in the excessive use of 
salt. Persons suffering with torpid livers will 
find great benefit by abstaining almost wholly 
from its use, together with that of other condi¬ 
ments. 

A gentleman who has just returned from a 
visit to England, states that many of the English 
stock-raisers who are noted for producing the 
finest cattle in the world, never think of feeding 
their cattle salt, as is so commonly practiced in 
this country. 

Vegetable vs. Animal Food. —It is a mis¬ 
taken opinion that flesh food is necessary to 
maintain human life. This is abundantly proven 
by numerous facts which are drawn from the 
anatomy of man and the lower animals, human 
and comparative physiology, and the experience 
of the human race from Adam’s time to our own. 

Flesh food is not necessary to sustain either 
mental and physical vigor, or animal heat. It 
contains no nutrient element not found in veg¬ 
etables. In fact, eating flesh is only taking veg¬ 
etables at second hand for all animals subsist 
upon vegetables. 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


117 


On the other hand, the use of meat is unfavor¬ 
able to longevity. Flesh food is stimulating. 
It contains venous blood, which is filled with 
such poisons as urea, uric acid, and cholesterine, 
with many others which would have been re¬ 
moved by the kidneys and liver of the animal 
had it lived. It is also liable to contain the 
products and germs of disease ; for few animals 
are perfectly healthy when killed, and many are 
in a condition of gross disease, being only hin¬ 
dered from dying a natural death by the inter¬ 
vention of the butcher’s knife. 

Animal food will sustain life, it will nourish 
the body; but it is not the best food. Science 
shows that it is not the natural food of man, and 
history testifies that the bravest and noblest na¬ 
tions of antiquity subsisted for ages without it. 

Thousands of people have investigated this 
subject during the last twenty years, have be¬ 
come convinced that animal food is inferior to 
vegetable food, and have renounced the use of 
the former with the most excellent results. 

Persons quite advanced in years, or in feeble 
health, unless they have special morbid condi¬ 
tions which demand such a change, should not 
attempt to discard animal food altogether. In 
such cases, if any change in dietary is made, it 
should be very gradual, and should be made* to 
occupy a considerable period of time. Much 
harm has been done by extremists in advising 
consumptives and other chronic invalids to ab- 



118 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


stain totally from the use of meat. When the 
system is in a debilitated condition it is not pre¬ 
pared to adapt itself to radical changes in diet 
unless there exists an imperative demand for it. 

A Live Hog Examined. —Look at that object 
in a filthy mud-hole by the roadside. At first 
you distinguish nothing but a pile of black, 
slimy mud. The dirty mass moves ! You think 
of a reptile, a turtle, some uncouth monster rev¬ 
eling in his Stygian filth. A grunt! The mys : 
tery is solved. The sound betrays a hog. You 
hasten by, avert your face, and sicken with dis¬ 
gust. Stop, friend, admire your savory ham, 
your souse, your tripe, your toothsome sausage, 
in its native element. A dainty beast, is n’t he ? 

Gaze over into that sty, our pork-eating friend. 
Have you done so before ? and would you pre¬ 
fer to be excused ? Quite likely; but we will 
show you a dozen things you did not observe 
before. See that contented brute quietly repos¬ 
ing in the augmented filth of his own ordure! 
He seems to feel quite at home, does n’t he ? 
Look a little sharper and scrutinize his skin. Is 
it smooth and healthy ? Not exactly so. So 
obscured is it with tetter, and scurf, and mange, 
that you almost expect to see the rotten mass 
di;op ofF, as the grunting creature rubs it against 
any projecting corner which may furnish him 
a convenient scratching-place. As you glance 
around the pen, you observe that all such con- 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


119 


veniences have been utilized until they are worn 
so smooth as to be almost inefficient. 

Stir up the beast and make him show his gait. 
See how he rolls along, a mountain of fat. If 
he were human, he would be advised to chew 
tobacco for his obesity, and would be expected 
to drop off any day of heart disease. And so he 
will do, unless the butcher forestalls nature by a 
day or two. Indeed, only a few days ago a stout 
neighbor of his was quietly taking his breakfast 
from his trough, and grunting his infinite satis¬ 
faction, when, without a moment’s warning, or a 
single premonitory symptom, his swinish heart 
ceased to beat, and he instantly expired without 
finishing his meal, much to the disappointment 
of the butcher who was anticipating the pleasure 
of quietly executing him a few hours later and 
serving him up to his pork-loving patrons. Sup¬ 
pose his death had been delayed a few hours, as 
is the case with the majority of hogs ? or rather, 
suppose the butcher had got the start of nature 
a little, as he generally contrives to do ? 

But we have not half examined our hog yet. 
If you can possibly prevail upon yourself to sac¬ 
rifice your taste, in the cause of science, pork- 
loving friend, just clamber over into the reeking 
sty and take a nearer view of the animal that is 
destined to delight the palates of some of your 
friends, perhaps your own. Make him straighten 
out his fore leg. Now observe closely. Do you 
see an open sore or issue a few inches above his 



120 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


foot, on the inner side ? and do you say it is a 
mere accidental abrasion ? Find the same on the 
other leg; it is a wise and wonderful provision 
of nature. But what are they ? Grasp the leg 
high up, and press downward. Now you see, as 
a mass of corruption pours out. That opening 
is the outlet of a sewer. Yes, a scrofulous sewer; 
and hence the offensive, scrofulous matter which 
discharges from it. Should you fill a syringe 
with mercury, or some colored injecting-fluid, 
and drive the contents into this same opening, 
you would he able to trace all through the body 
of the animal little pipes communicating with it. 

What must be the condition of the body of an 
animal so foul as to require a regular system of 
drainage to convey away its teeming filth ? 
Sometimes the outlets get closed by the accumu¬ 
lation of external filth. Then the scrofulous, 
ichorous stream ceases to flow, and the animal 
quickly sickens and dies unless the owner 
speedily cleanses the parts, and so opens anew 
the feculent fountain, and allows the festering 
poison to escape. 

What dainty morsels those same feet and legs 
make! What a delicate flavor they have, as 
every epicure asserts! Do you suppose the cor¬ 
ruption with which they are saturated has any 
influence upon their taste and healthfulness ? 

The hog is a scavenger by nature. His organ¬ 
ization indicates it, for he has a regular system 
of sewers running all through his body and dis- 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


121 


charging on the inside of his fore legs, the ex- 
press object of which is to convey away the filth 
with which his body teems. 

The process of fattening hogs is one of disease. 
A fat hog is one which is grossly diseased. That 
this is the case is shown by the condition of the 
liver. The livers of all fat hogs are masses of 
disease. Experienced butchers assert that the 
livers of very fat hogs are very apt to be affected 
by abscesses. 

Tape-Worm. —This loathsome creature, which 
sometimes gets'into a human stomach and intes¬ 
tines, and grows there to the enoimous length of 
several rods, is communicated to man by eating 
pork. The occurrence of tape-worm is becoming 
much more frequent in this country than for¬ 
merly, owing to the free use of pork. 

Trichinae. —Still more to be dreaded by pork- 
eaters are the terrible trichinae, which are also 
communicated by the eating of pork. Each 
worm is so small that seveial hundred thousand 
of them may occupy a single cubic inch of poik. 
When taken into the body, a single worm pro¬ 
duces ten young, which at once commence hol¬ 
ing into the body in every direction, lodging at 
last in the muscles. The pain and general dis¬ 
turbance of the system is so great that few 
constitutions can survive the terrible ordeal. If 
life is not destroyed at once, the individual lin¬ 
gers along, a sufferer for life, his body filled with 




122 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


disgusting worms for which there is no remedy. 
No cure for the disease has been discovered* 
About one hog in every ten is affected by the 
disease. No more than one in ten of the deaths 
from this cause are attributed to it, as the dis¬ 
ease may appear like many others, resembling 
cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever, cerebro-spinal 
meningitis, and rheumatism. No pork is safe. 

Poisonous Water. —Whole communities have 
been stricken with disease at once by what 
seemed a very mysterious cause. Investigation 
traced the origin to the water supply. Further 
investigation proved that the original source 
was some sewer or privy which communicated 
with the water supply. This is known to be 
one of the greatest causes of typhoid fever. 

The water of wells is often rendered poison¬ 
ous by receiving the drainage of barnyards and 
vaults. Sometimes matter of this character will 
be conducted many feet under ground in a per¬ 
vious soil, by percolation. 

Water from a barnyard well or cistern should 
never be used. No vault or cess-pool should be 
within fifty feet of a well. 

Milk from Stabled Cows. —Milk is not the 

best food, because it contains the impurities of 
the blood of the animal from which it is taken. 
If the animal’s blood be pure, the milk is pro¬ 
portionately good; if it is impure, the milk must 
be likewise affected. 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


123 


When cows are confined in a close stall, they 
breathe over and over the same foul air, which 
is always loaded with filthy vapors from their 
own excreta. These vapors enter the blood and 
poison every tissue and every secretion. The 
inhaled impurities make their appearance in the 
milk also, which thus becomes a means of excre¬ 
tion. If it is eaten, the filthy impurities of the 
stable are taken with it. 

A writer of note truly says that “ fully one- 



Fig. 1. Fi ff' %• 


half of the deaths among the young are directly 
traceable to poisonous milk;” and yet thou¬ 
sands of people, especially in our large cities, are 
daily exposing themselves and their children to 
the possibility of fatal poisoning. 

The taste is not always a reliable means for 
testing the quality of the milk, neither can the 
poisonous elements be detected by the closest 
scrutiny of the chemist; but the microscope i c- 
veals the presence of disease, although it may 
escape all other means of detection. 





124 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Fig. 1 is an accurate illustration of the appear¬ 
ance of pure milk when examined by means of 
a good microscope. It will be seen that it con¬ 
tains nothing but rounded globules of various 
sizes, which are the so-called butter cells of milk. 

Fig. 2 is an exact representation of the appear¬ 
ance of diseased milk under the microscope. 
This specimen was taken from a cow that was 
fed upon swill and confined in a filthy stable. 
The difference between these two specimens will 
be readily observed. In Fig. 2, in addition to 
the rounded globules which are alone found in 
Fig. 1, we have great numbers of minute organ¬ 
isms which are indicative of disease. Milk of 
this kind cannot be habitually used without pro¬ 
ducing serious disturbances in the system. 

Catching Consumption. —French experiment¬ 
ers have ascertained that cows are very liable to 
consumption, and that the tubercle of this dis¬ 
ease may be communicated by eating either the 
flesh or the milk of affected animals. This will 
account in part for some of the cases of <e quick 
consumption; ’ for it is observed that when the 
disease is communicated in this way its progress 
is much moie rapid than under other circum¬ 
stances. When milk is used, the greatest care 
should be taken to obtain it from healthy ani¬ 
mals. Boiling is an excellent precaution. 

Poisonous Sirups.— For a number of years 
the people of this country have been abused by 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


125 


the manufacture and sale of villainous compounds 
which were labeled with such enticing names as, 

“ golden drip,” “ silver drip,” and similar phrases. 
These so-called sirups, instead of being made 
from sugar or the sugar-cane, are manufactured 
by chemical processes, being made from starch, 
cotton rags, saw-dust, and similar materials. 

It has long been known to chemists that a 
sweet substance, known as grape-sugar, could be 
produced by boiling starch for a long time with 
sulphuric acid. Saw-dust, cotton, and woody 
fiber in any other form, furnish the same prod¬ 
uct when treated in a similar manner. Unscru¬ 
pulous knaves have taken advantage of this scien¬ 
tific fact to impose upon the people a spurious 
kind of sirup. These unrighteous practices have 
become so extensive that it is next to impossible 
to find a specimen of sirup that is wholly free 
from contamination. 

The effects of using this chemical preparation 
are very serious. It contains sulphuiic acid, oi 
oil of vitriol, iron, and various other unwhole¬ 
some constituents. When freely used, it pro¬ 
duces irritation of the stomach, and it has, no 
doubt, been the cause of numberless cases of 
chronic dyspepsia. In one instance which oc¬ 
curred under our observation, more than a dozen 
people suffered at once with slight symptoms of 
poisoning, the consequence of eating candy made 
of this wretched stuff. It was observed that the 
teeth and tongues of those who ate of the candy 




126 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


were made very black; and without doubt the 
blackened teeth were permanently and seriously 
damaged. 

It is important to know how to distinguish 
these adulterated and poisonous sirups from those 
which are pure. A convenient method, which is 
sufficiently accurate for practical purposes, is to 
add a teaspoonful of the suspected sirup to a half 
cup of strong tea. If the solution becomes black, 
like ink, the sirup is unfit for use and contains 
poisonous elements It should certainly be dis¬ 
carded. If every family would adopt the plan 
of testing sirup before buying, and refuse to pur¬ 
chase that which would not stand the test, the 
market for the vile compound would soon be 
destroyed, and its manufacture would necessarily 
cease. 

Tea and Coffee. —One of the most common 
causes of dyspepsia, “ liver complaint,” and nerv¬ 
ousness, is the use of tea and coffee. The in¬ 
jury resulting from the use of the beverages is 
attributable to several evils. 

1. The active principle of both tea and coffee 
is theine, or caffeine, a narcotic poison, which is 
fatal in other than small doses. Although not 
fatal in small doses, it produces, nevertheless, a 
decidedly injurious effect. The full injury is not 
seen at once, neither does it appear in a few 
months; but the integrity of the digestive and 
nervous systems is steadily, though slowly, un- 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


127 


dermined. Chocolate and cocoa occasion pre¬ 
cisely the same effects, though they are less 
powerful. 

2. The tannin contained in an infusion of tea 
or coffee disturbs digestion by rendering inert 
the gastric juice, one of the most essential digest¬ 
ive agents. 

3. The use of hot liquid of any kind at meals 
is very damaging to the stomach. The organ is 
not only over-stimulated by the abnormal heat, 
but its function is impaired by excess of fluid. 
The gastric juice is diluted so much as to be 
rendered incapable of performing its function, 
and the stomach is wearied with the task of ab¬ 
sorbing the superabundant fluid. Meanwhile, 
the food undergoes fermentative changes, and 
becomes unfit for nourishing the body. 

Hundreds have found a cure for dyspepsia, 
sick-headache, nervousness and wakefulness at 
night, in discarding tea and coffee with all their 
substitutes. 

Hard Water. —Water containing lime and oth¬ 
er mineral matters is productive of several very 
painful diseases. Avoid its use. Soft water can 
always be obtained at certain times, and pre¬ 
served in cisterns. Such water is only fit for use 
after filtering. (See directions for making a fil¬ 
ter.) Boiling hard water removes a portion of 
the lime. Filtration does not purify it. 

It is a mistaken notion that hard water is nec- 




128 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


essary for the maintenance of health. Nothing 
could be more absurd. The softest, purest water 
is the best for all the purposes for Avhich water 
is needed in the human body. 

Iced Water. —Copious draughts of iced water 
are very injurious. In the summer time espe¬ 
cially, iced water is harmful on account of the 
sudden cooling of the internal organs which it 
induces. If drank at all, it should only be in 
small sips and very slowly. 

The injudicious use of iced water in summer 
is a most common cause of dysentery and other 
bowel troubles. It also frequently produces a 
weakened condition of the digestive organs which 
results in dyspepsia. 

Iced cream, iced tea, and iced milk, together 
with all other varieties of ices, should be avoided 
by those who have any anxiety to preserve the 
health of their digestive organs. 

Eating Between Meals. —The stomach requires 
rest as well as the brain or the muscles. If food 
is eaten at other times than at meals, it is kept 
constantly at work. From three to six hours 
are required to digest most articles of food; 
hence, if food is taken again within five or six 
hours after eating, the stomach is kept incessant¬ 
ly employed, and becomes exhausted. When the 
next meal is taken, it is unprepared to receive it, 
and indigestion with its myriad train of ills re¬ 
sults. Late suppers are suicidal. Never eat 
within five hours of retiring. 





health and temperance. 


129 


Hasty Eating. —Americans are proverbial for 
hasty eating. The student swallows his food un¬ 
masticated, and hastens back to his books. The 
merchant bolts his meal to save time for busi¬ 
ness. The glutton eats as fast as ever he can to 
keep pace with his neighbors and get his full 
share. 

It is not enough to fill the stomach with food. 
Digestion begins in the mouth; and unless the 
mouth does its share of the work, the stomach 
is required to do a double portion. When the 
food is sent down into the stomach in lumps, the 
abused organ does its best to digest it, but fails, 
because it has no means for grinding food. The 
mill is in the mouth, and mastication, if done at 
all, must be done there. The gastric juice can¬ 
not act upon solid food, and allows it to go un¬ 
digested. Fermentation ensues, and dyspepsia, 
dysentery, cholera morbus, and a dozen other 
diseases result. 

Eight ounces of food, well masticated, will af¬ 
ford as much nourishment to the body as a pound 
hastily bolted. 

Alcoholic Drinks. —No well man can habitu¬ 
ally use wine, beer, brandy, or any other alco¬ 
holic drink, without becoming diseased. It is 
good for nothing as a food, and is useful as a 
medicine only when used with great discretion. 
Old people do not require it any more than 
young persons. Indeed, it is far more dangerous 






130 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


for old than young, because it renders them liable 
to apoplexy. 

Moderate drinking is a skillful trick of the old 
serpent to lead men to drunkards graves. 

Any quantity of alcohol intoxicates. Intoxi¬ 
cation is poisoning. A little alcohol intoxicates 
a little; a larger quantity intoxicates a good deal. 
The moderate drinker, no matter how small his 
libations, only differs from the gutter toper in 
degree. 

The following “ Facts about Alcohol” are well 
worth the consideration of those who need to be 
warned of the consequences of becoming ad¬ 
dicted to its use :— 

Facts about Alcohol. —1. Alcohol is a poison. 
When pure, it will produce death as certainly 
and almost as quickly as prussic acid. 

2. Alcohol is a product of fermentation, or de¬ 
cay. The Creator never made it. No plant pro¬ 
duces it. No bubbling spring affords it. 

3. Alcohol is an irritant. It will blister the 
skin, and produce inflammation of the stomach. 

4. Alcohol is a narcotic. It paralyzes the 
nerves, and benumbs the sensibilities. 

5. Alcohol destroys the blood. It dissolves 
the blood corpuscles, and thus impoverishes the 
vital fluid. 

G. Alcohol causes heart disease, by changing 
the heart tissue for fat. 

7. Alcohol causes apoplexy. It weakens the 






HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


131 


blood-vessels, and causes congestion of the brain. 
Alcohol weakens the muscles. It has been prov¬ 
en by experiment that a man can lift less after 
taking a glass of whisky than before. 

8. Alcohol wastes vital force. 

9. Alcohol causes consumption. 

10. Alcohol lessens bodily heat. Travelers in 
the Arctic regions are obliged to be teetotalers. 

11. Alcohol causes paralysis of the brain. A 
man who is dead drunk is temporarily paralyzed. 

12. Alcohol hardens the brain. 

13. Alcohol produces congestion of every or¬ 
gan of the body. 

14. Alcohol hardens the liver, and renders it 
useless. 

15. Alcohol produces its worst effects when 
taken in small doses. 

16. Alcohol produces all kinds of nervous dis¬ 
orders. 

17. Alcohol occasions cancer, ulcer, dyspepsia 
and other diseases of the stomach. 

18. Alcohol is the ' cause of more than two- 
thirds of the cases of disease found in the hos¬ 
pitals in large cities. 

19. Alcohol is one of the greatest causes of 
pauperism. 

20. Alcohol is one of the most active causes of 
crime. In Scotland it increased the frequency 
of crime 400 per cent. 

21. Alcohol is a great cause of insanity. 

22. Alcohol shortens life 500 per cent., accord- 






132 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


ing to the statistics of life insurance companies. 

23. Alcohol annually kills one hundred thou¬ 
sand American citizens. 

24. Alcohol costs more than bread. 

25. Alcohol serves no useful purpose in the 
human system, and does inestimable harm. 

Effect of Diet on the Liver. —Almost every 
other man we meet is complaining about his 
liver. One has a “torpid” liver; another has 
“ congestion ” of the liver; another has a pain in 
his side, which he is confident is due to disturb¬ 
ance of his liver. Complaints are loud and gen¬ 
eral against the liver, but no one thinks of enter- 
ing a complaint against the diet, which is the 
real source of difficulty. Careful investigation 
and examination of the liver, after death, have 
proven the deleterious effect which certain arti¬ 
cles of food have upon the liver. 

The drunkard’s liver becomes hardened by the 
alcohol which he imbibes. The liquid poison 
has the same damaging effect upon his brain. 

The livers of people who use a great deal of 
fat—fat meat, butter, lard, rich cakes, pies, etc. 
—become infiltrated with fat. They undergo a 
process called fatty degeneration, in which there 
is an actual change of the tissue to fat. This 
change is favored by sedentary habits. The 
liver of the domestic cat is almost always fatty. 

The natives of the East Indies, as well as of 
Central and Southern Africa, together with Mex- 




HEALTH ANT) TEMPERANCE. 


133 


ico and other warm climates, make great use of 
pepper, mustard, turmeric, and other irritating 
spices. The result of this practice is not only 
derangement of the stomach, but the production 
of induration of the liver, a disease which was 
formerly attributed to the climate of those 
regions, on account of its prevalence, but is now 
well known to be the result of the use of the 
deleterious articles named. Lovers of pepper 
and mustard should look out for their livers. 

It has been observed that cattle that have 
been overfed, or fed on warm slops, have badly 
diseased livers. The organ is found enlarged, in 
some cases very greatly, and its surface is cov¬ 
ered with red spots and ragged, ulcerated patches, 
indicating the presence of disease of so extensive 
a character as to render the organ almost wholly 
useless. 

The same causes which produce these grave 
effects in savage and semi-civilized human beings, 
and in lower animals, will produce the same 
results in civilized beings. Pepper and mustard 
are no better for a New York City gormand 
than for a Hottentot or a Mexican Indian. Slop 
food—highly seasoned soups, gravies, and “ rich ” 
sauces—will work for human livers the same 
mischievous results that follow its use by lower 
animals. 

Two Meals a Day. —According to Hippocrates, 
a very noted Grecian physician who lived a few 



134 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OP 


centuries before Christ, the Grecians of that age 
ate but one meal a day. He advised, however, 
that two meals should be eaten, as by so doing 
there would be less liability to overeating. Thus 
it is evident that the two-meal system,” as the 
custom of eating two meals a day is called, is 
not by any means a modern innovation, but has 
the sanction of antiquity. It is also a fact wor¬ 
thy of mention in this connection, that the ancient 
Grecians were among the most hardy, energetic, 
and courageous, as well as learned, of all the na¬ 
tions of whom we have any historical record. 
Their feats of physical prowess astonish the 
world; and their rank as thinkers was in no way 
inferior to that of any other people who have ever 
lived. The advantages of two meals instead of 
three are very numerous; and there are no sub¬ 
stantial objections to the practice in any but a 
few exceptional cases. This is a favorable sea¬ 
son of the year in which to begin the omission 
of the third meal. The change may be made at 
once, or gradually. Perhaps the latter plan is 
the better one for most persons. If breakfast is 
taken at 7J or 8 A. M., and dinner at 2 p. M., the 
supper will not be missed, or very little at most, 
especially if the individual retires early. 

Of course there are cases in which three meals 
a day, if the supper be light and early, are pref¬ 
erable to a less number, and for such two meals 
are not recommended. 

It would have been infinitely better for human 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


135 


stomachs if the ancient custom of eating but 
twice in a day had been maintained. There are 
a great many other directions as well in which 
modern practices are no improvement over an¬ 
cient ones, and which call for reform by a return 
to the customs of our predecessors. 

Tender Meat. —Those who use animal food 
are always desirous of obtaining “ tender ” meat. 
In order to satisfy the demand for such food, the 
butcher and the producer resort to all sorts of 
devices. The former keeps the flesh of slaugh¬ 
tered animals after they are killed until decay 
has begun, in order that the natural firmness and 
elasticity of the tissues may be overcome by 
processes of decomposition. The latter treats 
his animals in such a manner previous to their 
death that their tissues become softened and 
disintegrated by disease. There are several 
means employed to effect this; chief among 
them are confinement and overfeeding. An ex- 
change gives the following translation of a 
description of how young pigeons are fattened 
in Germany, as given in the North German 
Allgemeine Zeitung :— 

“ In order to fatten young pigeons quickly, 
put them, on the twentieth day, or when they 
commence to get feathers, into a basket with a 
soft layer of moss or hay on the bottom, in a 
place which freely admits the air, but excludes 
the light. Feed the birds three times daily, at 
intervals of five hours each, with cooked maize, 





136 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


opening their beaks and making them swallow 
successively thirty to forty grains each. The 
maize should be warm, but not hot. By con¬ 
tinuing this treatment ten or twelve days, the 
birds will become most tender and delicate. 

Such meat would doubtless be “ tender 
enough to suit the most fastidious epicure. In 
this respect the plan suggested would certainly 
be perfectly successful; but great care would be 
necessary lest nature should succumb and actual 
dissolution of the poor birds occur before their 
heads were chopped off. Mr. Bergh would arrest 
the perpetrators of such cruelty. 

Lager Beer as Food.—After such repeated 
refutations of the idea, it is strange that people 
should still cling to the notion that lager beer is 
nourishing. If a man has lost his appetite, and 
seems to be failing in strength, or losing weight, 
his next-door neighbor advises him to drink 
daily a few glasses of lager beer. If a nursing 
mother has insufficient food for her infant, wise 
old ladies prescribe lager beer or ale. 

Although it is being constantly reiterated in 
the ears of the people that alcohol is not food, 
and that beer and ale are only dirty mixtures of 
alcohol and water, still they refuse to believe 
that these pernicious beverages cannot, in some 
way, impart nourishment and strength. Perhaps 
the testimony of one of the greatest of European 
savants will correct the opinions of a few. 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


1.37 


Said Prof. Baron Liebig, a German chemist of 
great renown, “ We can prove with mathemati¬ 
cal certainty that as much flour or meal as would 
lie on the point of a table-knife is more nutri¬ 
tious than five measures [ten quarts] of the best 
Bavarian beer.” Powerful nutriment, indeed ! 

A Barbarous Practice. — The practice of 
smoking, which has now become so universal 
among a large proportion of our male popula¬ 
tion, has a curious and interesting history—curi¬ 
ous, on account of the novel origin of the habit, 
and interesting, from the insight which it gives 
into the depravity of human nature. 

For a long time, the origin of smoking was ob¬ 
scure ; but history has come to the rescue, and 
now we learn that “ in 1492, as Columbus lay 
with his ships beside the island of Cuba, he sent 
two men to search the land and report what 
they might see. On their return, among other 
things, they said they saw the naked savages 
twist large leaves together, and smoke like dev¬ 
ils.” Since that time, a large share of the men 
and boys of civilized nations have been follow¬ 
ing the filthy example of those naked savages. 

It was not, however, without meeting with 
vigorous opposition that tobacco obtained des¬ 
potic tyranny over human beings. In Russia, 
the use of tobacco was prohibited under the pen¬ 
alty of the bastinado for the first offense, loss of 
the nose for the second, and deprivation of life 
for the third. 




138 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


In Italy, the pope fulminated a bull against 
the filthy weed, and excommunicated all who 
used it in church. 

In Switzerland, tobacco-users were treated as 
criminals. 

The Shah of Persia made tobacco-using a cap¬ 
ital crime, and many of its devotees were exe¬ 
cuted. 

In Constantinople, a Turk was led through 
the streets with his nose slit and transfixed by a 
pipe-stem, as a warning to smokers. 

King James I., of England, expressed his op¬ 
position to the weed in a powerful “ Counter- 
blaste,” which stigmatized the drug in most de¬ 
cided terms. 

Even in this country, the native home of to¬ 
bacco, at a somewhat later period its use was in¬ 
terdicted to all who had not previously acquired 
the habit, unless prescribed by a physician as a 
medicine. 

But the devotees of this fascinating drug 
steadily increased in spite of all opposition, until 
tobacco-using has become an almost universal 
vice ; in which fact we see a striking illustra¬ 
tion of the readiness of human nature to seize 
upon anything which promises gratification of 
the senses, no matter how filthy, how disgusting, 
how pernicious, or how fatal in its ultimate con¬ 
sequences. 

Diet and Mental Labor. —Isaac Newton per¬ 
formed his most severe intellectual labor while 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


139 


subsisting upon a diet of bread and water. Py¬ 
thagoras, one of the most acute philosophers of 
antiquity, was a rigid vegetarian, and educated 
his followers in the same regimen. 

Cheerfulness at Meals.— The benefit derived 
from food taken, depends very much upon the 
condition of the body while eating. If taken in 
a moody, cross, or despairing condition of mind, 
digestion is slower and much less perfect than 
when taken with a cheerful disposition. The 
very rapid and silent eating too common among 
Americans, should be avoided, and some topic of 
interest introduced at meals, in which all may 
participate; and if a hearty laugh is occasion¬ 
ally indulged in, it will be all the better. 

Spices. —The almost universal fondness for 
spices is a curious illustration of the readiness 
with which the simplicity of the natural taste 
may become depraved. Pepper was used before 
B. c. 400. Pliny speaks of its use in his day, 
and expresses his astonishment that men should 
esteem it so highly when it has not a sweet 
taste, nor attractive appearance, nor any other 
desirable quality. We can heartily sympathize 
with Pliny in his astonishment. 

Nutmegs and mace are quite extensively used 
as spices in this country and in Europe ; but 
neither one is ever used as a condiment in the 
country from which they were first brought, the 
Isles of Banda. 




140 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Simple Remedies 

FOR COMMON DISEAS ES. 


Many of the cases of illness which are constantly 
occurring in nearly every family, are of such a 
character that they can be treated by an intelli¬ 
gent, well-informed mother, as well as by a 
physician. Important cases demand medical 
advice ; but every parent ought to be sufficiently 
well informed to be able to attend promptly and 
efficiently to the great majority of the ailments 
to which all families are liable. Such information 
as is given in this work, will also enable a 
mother to render efficient aid to the physician in 
cases of grave illness, in which as much often de¬ 
pends upon good nursing as upon medical advice. 

If children are properly clothed and fed, al¬ 
lowed plenty of exercise, fresh air, and sleep, 
they will be seldom ill. The same is equally 
true of grown people. Accidents, exposures, and 
indiscretions will occur, however, resulting in 
various ailments. If the simple directions given 
for treating some of the more common ailments, 
are carefully followed, much trouble, expense, 
and suffering may be avoided. Few drugs are 
recommended for internal use, because the cases 
in which they are really needed are such as 
require the personal attention of a physician. 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


141 


Colds. —Tommy, or Mary, or baby, or some 
other one of the children, or the family, has 
“ caught a hard cold; ” what shall we do ? Do 
nothing, and let it wear off? 

No; perhaps he will get well, may be his cold 
will become something worse. 

Shall we give him ginger tea, red pepper, 
brandy sling, onion sirup, honey and lard, fat 
pork, castor-oil, licorice, hoarhound, molasses 
candy, boneset, catnip, mullen tea, or pennyroyal ? 
or shall we apply a mustard plaster to his chest, 
a blister to the bottom of each foot, and fat pork 
with salt and pepper to his throat ? 

Do no such thing. Such trash put into his 
stomach, with such irritating applications out¬ 
side, would make a well person sick. Now do 
this:— 

In the first place, prevent the cold, if possible, 
by beginning in season. Perhaps the feet have 
been wet, and are damp and cold. Pull off the 
shoes or boots and stockings, and put the feet 
into a pail of water as hot as can well be borne, 
after first wetting the head with cool water. 
After fifteen minutes’ soaking, pour a little cold 
water into the pail. Allow the feet to remain 
two or three minutes longer, then take out, wipe 
dry every part, between the toes and around the 
ankles, and then rub them until they glow with 
warmth. Put on dry, warm stockings, and send 
the patient to bed for an hour, or all night if it 
is evening. Instead of waking up in the morn- 



142 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


ing with a headache, a sore throat, and a voice 
like a cracked fiddle, he will be quite well. 

If a person has really got a cold, and is sneez¬ 
ing, and wheezing, and coughing, and expectorat¬ 
ing, more thorough measures must be taken. 

1. Eat little or nothing for a day or two. The 
popular adage, “ Stuff a cold and starve a fever,” 
is without foundation. A cold is a fever—a heat , 
really, rather than a cold , if temperature be con¬ 
sidered. 

2. Rest. Sleep all that is possible. No time 
is lost in such a course. Timely rest may save 
serious illness. 

3. Take some kind of hot bath, which will 
start the perspiration freely. Long sweating is 
debilitating, only start the action of the skin. 
The foot-bath combined with the sitz-bath, the 
wet-sheet pack, the vapor-bath, and the hot-air 
bath are alike suitable. These are severally de¬ 
scribed in this work. After the bath, go to bed. 

Drink freely of water, the purer the better. 

A day or two of such treatment will usually 
“ break ” the hardest cold, saving the patient sev¬ 
eral weeks of pain and annoyance, if not from 
chronic disease. Try it. The trouble is less than 
you think, and the results are splendid. 

Frequent bathing in tepid water makes a per¬ 
son less liable to colds. 

Sore Throat. —There are many remedies for 
sore throat, some of which are harmless, being 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


143 


simply worthless—like goose-oil applied exter- 
nally—while others are quite injurious. The 
remedy used by the Germans—and many sensi¬ 
ble Americans—is the best. If it is a case of 
simple sore throat, make, alternately, hot and 
cold applications, according to directions given 
elsewhere. If there is fever, cool the skin with 
sponge-baths. Keep the feet warm. If there 
are symptoms of diphtheria, call a physician at 
once. 

Coughs, —There are many different kinds of 
cough, each requiring different treatment. Most 
coughs are due to an irritation of the throat. 
The seat of the disease may be in the upper part 
of the throat, and may be due to nasal catarrh, or 
the tickling of an elongated palate. It may be 
due to disease of the larynx, when it will us¬ 
ually be hoarse in character. Throat coughs are 
usually “ dry.” When due to disease lower down 
in the lungs, the patient usually raises a consid¬ 
erable quantity. 

There is no panacea for coughs. A remedy 
which is good for one kind of a cough is often 
exceedingly harmful for another. Much harm 
is done by the indiscriminate swallowing of cough 
sirups and mixtures of various sorts, and the 
constant nibbling of troches, lozenges, etc. The 
cause should be found out and removed in each 
case. Hot water drinking and the hot water 





144 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


gargle are effective in many cases. The throat 
pack, worn over night, is also very useful if its 
use is persevered in. 

Headache. —Pain in the head is caused by ei¬ 
ther too much or too little blood. If the pulse is 
high and the head hot, while the feet are cold, 
apply cold to the head and put the feet in a hot 
bath. A sitz-bath and foot-bath combined will 
be necessary in severe cases. If the cold appli¬ 
cation does not give speedy relief, apply hot fo¬ 
mentations for a half hour, unless relief is sooner 
obtained, renewing the application every four or 
five minutes. 

Sometimes headache is caused by undigested 
food in the stomach. In such cases a warm-wa¬ 
ter emetic is needed. If accompanied by cramp 
in the stomach, apply fomentations over that or¬ 
gan also. Sick headache nearly always requires 
hot applications. 

Burns and Scalds.— Apply at once light cloths 
dipped in cool or tepid water, or immerse the 
part in water. When the pain is somewhat re¬ 
lieved, apply pure lard or sweet-oil. One of the 
best preparations is sweet-oil to which carbolic 
acid has been added in proportion of one part to 
twenty. It may be applied by means of a satu¬ 
rated cotton or linen cloth laid over the part. If 
the burn has not destroyed much of the skin, 
prompt relief will usually be obtained by cover- 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


145 


ing the part with the white of egg applied with 
a soft brush. Apply a second coat when the first 
dries. Deep burns should be poulticed after the 
pain has been somewhat relieved by the applica¬ 
tion of cool wet cloths, as they will be attended 
with sloughing and discharge of pus. 

Alum-water and carron-oil (a mixture of lime- 
water and linseed-oil in equal parts) are favorite 
remedies with some. A saturated solution of bi¬ 
carbonate of soda, applied by means of a thin com¬ 
press, is recommended as a most excellent reme- 

dy- 

Chilblains. —This troublesome affection, though 
seemingly insignificant, often makes existence 
almost a burden by its constant irritation. It is 
easily cured, but not by the application of any 
sort of salve, ointment, liniment, or quack nos¬ 
trum, no matter how highly recommended. 

Just before retiring, prepare two vessels fo 
foot-bath. Place in one, water as hot as can be 
borne, and in the other, very cold water. Place 
the feet first in the hot water for two minutes, 
then in the cold water for the same time. Alter¬ 
nate thus four or five times, merely dipping the 
feet in the cold water the last time, and then 
wiping them dry. Repeat this treatment every 
night until the cure is effected. Improvement 
will usually begin at once. 

Wear thin cotton stockings inside the woolen 
ones and avoid exposing the feet to severe cold 


10 




146 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


until they are well. A general bath twice a 
week is necessary. (See article on freezing, for 
prevention of chilblain.) 

Pain. —Acute pain is usually due either to in¬ 
flammation or neuralgia. Hot applications are 
nearly always the most grateful and the most 
successful of any local remedy. Hot fomentations 
are the most convenient means of applying heat, 
though hot bricks, bottles or rubber bags filled 
with hot water, and heated sand-bags are equally 
serviceable in many cases. Sometimes cold appli¬ 
cations are the most grateful and efficient. The 
patient’s feelings will determine which is to be 
employed. The hot foot-bath, or the foot-bath 
and sitz-bath combined, is sometimes necessary in 
addition to local measures. 

Face-ache. —Pain in the face is generally of a 
neuralgiac character. Frequently it originates in 
a diseased tooth. Make hot applications in any 
of the several ways described in the article on 
“ Hot Applications.” Cold applications are occa¬ 
sionally best. The foot-bath, sitz-bath, and ab¬ 
stinence from food are useful auxiliaries of treat¬ 
ment. When due to constitutional causes, as the 
use of tea, coffee, tobacco, or liquor, or to an im¬ 
poverished condition of the blood and general de¬ 
rangement of the nerves, the disease is very ob¬ 
stinate and requires constitutional treatment. 

Toothache. —This painful affection is often 
closely connected with face-ache. It may be due 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


147 


to a decayed or ulcerated tooth, or to disease of 
the dental nerve. Apply the same remedies as 
directed for face-ache. In addition, apply half of 
a steamed fig (hot) to the diseased tooth. A bit 
of cotton saturated with laudanum or creosote, 
and crowded into the cavity of a carious tooth, 
will often give speedy relief. The only proper 
and permanent remedy when the tooth is decay¬ 
ed, is to have it filled or extracted. It should be 
filled, if possible. 

Earache. —Hot applications, or the prolonged 
hot douche, applied with the fountain syringe, 
will often give relief. A hot poultice, continu¬ 
ally applied, and frequently changed, is a good 
remedy. Half a boiled or roasted onion, bound 
upon the ear, will sometimes give relief. No rem¬ 
edy is infallible. The hot foot-bath and sitz-bath 
are excellent remedies. If an abscess is forming 
in the outer ear, the pain will continue until it 
opens, or is lanced. A few drops of laudanum 
placed in the ear give relief in some cases, and 
can do no harm. A still better application is ob¬ 
tained by evaporating the alcohol from a tea¬ 
spoonful of laudanum and mixing the residue 
with half a teaspoonful of sweet-oil or glycerine. 
Incline the head and pour a few drops of this 
into the ear. Such applications give relief only 
by deadening the sensibility of the nerves, and 
not by removing the cause of the difficulty. 
Hence, they should be employed, if at all, only 
in connection with other remedies. 




148 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Rheumatism. —Inflammatory rheumatism re¬ 
quires the attendance of an experienced person. 
The wandering pains from which many people 
sutler, which are commonly called rheumatism, 
can be relieved by proper attention. 

1. Avoid the use of irritating condiments, tea, 
coffee, tobacco, and alcoholic liquors, including 
wine, beer, etc. Avoid, also, gross food, and the 
use of food or drink containing saline matters. 
Be temperate in all things. 

2. Dress warmly and uniformly. Silk or 
buckskin under-suits, worn next the cotton un¬ 
der-clothing, give great relief to many. Wear 
flannel the whole year. 

3. Apply heat to the painful parts as in neu¬ 
ralgia. The hot-air and vapor-baths are good. 
Keep the skin clean. Exercise freely. 

Colic. —The usual causes are indigestion and 
constipation. Administer a copious enema to 
secure a free passage from the bowels. Apply 
dry, hot cloths or hot fomentations over the ab¬ 
domen. Percuss and knead the abdomen gently, 
to promote action of the bowels. Hot drinks do 
very little good, and usually as little harm. For 
an infant, fold a thick woolen blanket, wet one 
end in as hot water as can be borne, wring it 
so that it will not drip, and apply the wet end 
over the abdomen of the child, wrapping the re¬ 
mainder around its body. It is often surprising 
to mark the almost instantaneous relief which 
follows. The applications must be hot, not sim- 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


149 


ply warm, and must be renewed every five or 
ten minutes until relief is obtained. 

Nearly all abdominal pains may be relieved 
in the same way. 

Convulsions. —The convulsions of children— 
commonly called spasms, or fits—are usually due 
either to worms or indigestion, unless they occur 
in the course of some acute disease. Place the 
child at once in a hot bath, disturbing it as little 
as possible. It will usually recover in a few 
minutes. When sufficiently recovered, adminis¬ 
ter an enema to free the bowels, and keep it per¬ 
fectly quiet. Some advise the cold bath, and 
practice it with good success. The patient should 
be rubbed vigorously during the cold bath. 

Epileptic convulsions require more than sim¬ 
ple domestic treatment. The most that can be 
done for the patient during the fit is to prevent 
him from injuring himself or others. The lips 
and tongue are often severely bitten by the spas¬ 
modic action of the muscles of the jaws closing 
the teeth together upon them. This may be 
prevented by placing a piece of soft wood or 
other material between the teeth at the begin¬ 
ning of the fit. As the patient usually sleeps 
some time after the fit, the brief interval of con¬ 
sciousness which immediately follows it should 
be occupied in getting him into a comfortable 
position. 



150 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Hysterics. —This peculiar disease is most com¬ 
mon in women, though sometimes observed in 
men. It is a real disease, and should be treated as 
such. The symptoms are almost as various as the 
cases. If certainly known to be present, place the 
patient upon a sofa, beside which a large vessel is 
placed. Hold the head of the patient over the ves¬ 
sel, and pour cold water upon it from a pitcher held 
a few feet above. Apply at the same time cold 
to the chest and spine, and hot bricks or bottles 
to the feet. This treatment may be continued 
at intervals for an hour or two if the patient 
does not recover sooner. Speedy relief is usually 
secured. If the patient becomes quite chilly, 
apply warm cloths to the chest and shoulders. 

Apoplexy. —If a person falls suddenly and is 
found with a full pulse, throbbing temples, 
flushed face, and breathing hard, he has apo¬ 
plexy. Loosen every constriction about the 
thrQat at once, elevate the head, secure fresh air, 
bare the chest, and pour cold water upon the 
head. See that the extremities are warm. Call 
a physician as soon as possible. Do not bleed, 
nor give brandy, ammonia, nor any other stim¬ 
ulant. Apoplectic convulsions are quite rare ; 
They generally occur in sedentary people of full 
habit, in advanced life. 

Fainting. —When a person faints, the heart 
nearly ceases its action, the action of the lungs is 
nearly or quite suspended, the face becomes pale, 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 151 

and partial or complete unconsciousness ensues. 
If the person has fallen, do not elevate the head, 
but be careful to keep it as low as, or lower than, 
the rest of the body. If the patient is sitting in 
a chair, step behind him, grasp the chair at the 
sides, and carefully tip it back until the head 
touches the floor. This alone will suffice in many 
cases. If the patient does not immediately re¬ 
vive, loosen the clothing about the neck, chest, 
and abdomen ; sprinkle cold water in the face ; 
slap the surface of the body with the hand or a 
slipper; apply an ammonia bottle, camphor, or 
any other pungent odor to the nostrils ; secure 
abundant cool, fresh air, and use artificial respi¬ 
ration. If the patient can swallow, give very 
hot or very cold drinks. 

A person who is subject to syncope should lie 
down at once when he first feels faint. 

Dandruff. —This is a condition in which branny 
scales are shed from the scalp in great abundance. 
It may be due to eczema or pityriasis, or may re¬ 
sult from a disorder of the sebaceous glands, and 
from acne. The latter is the most common cause 
of the disease. In this form of affection, the ab¬ 
normal secretion of the fat glands appeals upon 
the scalp as yellowish scales. This condition is 
sometimes present upon the nose and cheeks as 
well as the scalp. It is often a very annoying 
complaint. When affecting the scalp, it sooner 
or later results in loss of the hair. This is not 




152 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


because the dandruff destroys the hair, but because 
the same disease which causes the dandruff, inter¬ 
feres with the nutrition of the hair, thus occasion¬ 
ing its loss. On account of its tendency to pro¬ 
duce baldness, the disease should never be neg¬ 
lected. Dandruff is generally occasioned by dis¬ 
order of the digestion, or some other debilitating 
disease. >*■»•*“* 

Treatment .—Restore the general health by 
proper attention to the digestion and general 
hygiene. The scalp should be treated by gentle 
shampooing with ordinary washing soap, once 
or twice a week. A very soft brush should 
be used. Neither a stiff brush nor a fine comb 
should ever be used for removing dandruff After 
shampooing, a liniment composed of equal parts 
of castor-oil and alcohol may be rubbed on the 
scalp, or an ointment composed of a dram of tan¬ 
nin to an ounce of vaseline. 

Oily Skin . —When many of the ducts of the 
glands are clogged up, as indicated by the 
abundance of “grubs,” the surface should first be 
thoroughly rubbed with warm oil. Cocoanut or 
almond oil is the best. After half an hour, the 
surface should be rubbed with a flannel cloth, 
thoroughly saturated with soap moistened with 
warm water, and stretched over the fingers ; or a 
soft sponge may be used. This is best done at 
night, j ust before retiring. 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


153 


Mumps. —This common affection needs little 
more than careful nursing. A spare diet, rest, 
and a daily warm hath facilitate recovery. If 
the diseased parts are very painful, treat as for 
sore throat. Keep the feet warm. If the breasts 
or testicles become inflamed, apply ice or alter¬ 
nate hot and cold cloths. 

Dysentery. —This,disease consists of an in¬ 
flammation of the large intestine, or colon. In 
mild cases, the disease is limited to the rectum. 
The local inflammation is accompanied by gener¬ 
al fever, together with the discharge of mucus, 
with more or less blood. The cause of the dis¬ 
ease is sometimes obscure; improper diet, bad 
water, foul air, or exposure to wet and cold, dur¬ 
ing the hot months, may be mentioned as the 
most common causes of the disease. 

In the treatment of this malady, energetic 
measures should be used to diminish the local 
inflammation, and to subdue the general fever. 
This may be done best by the use of fomenta¬ 
tions and compresses over the bowels and abdo¬ 
men, together with the wet-hand rub and wet- 
sheet pack, as frequently as. the severity of the 
case demands. Great care should be taken to 
keep the extremities thoroughly warmed. If 
the head is unnaturally hot, cold applications 
may be made to it. If spasms occur, great relief 
may be obtained in an application of ice or very 
cold water to the head and upper portion of the 



154 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


spine. Local pain may be greatly relieved by 
the use of the hot water enema. Great care 
should be exercised to keep the patient quiet. 
His food should be such as will be easily digest¬ 
ed, while it is of such a character that it will not 
be a source of irritation to the mucous membrane. 

It is a mistaken notion that fruit is a cause of 
this disease. It may be occasioned by eating* 
unripe fruit; but the immaturity of the fruit is 
the cause of the disturbance, being a source of 
imitation to the intestinal canal on account of 
its indigestibility. Ripe fruit not only does not 
occasion dysentery, but some kinds of fruit, as 
blackberries, raspberries, and grapes, are condu- 
ci\e to recovery when freely used. Fruit is rare¬ 
ly harmful if eaten properly, being taken at 
meals only, in moderate quantity, and thorough¬ 
ly masticated. 

Rules for Dyspeptics. —A few years ago we 
formulated a few rules for dyspeptics, which we 
give below, publishing the same in our little work, 
‘‘Digestion and Dyspepsia.” Subsequently we 
printed the same in our journal, Good Health, A 
short time later they came back to us as an edito¬ 
rial in a popular magazine, published in London, 
and edited by an eminent physician, a member of 
the Royal Society. We feel highly complimented 
that our English friend is willing to give so hearty 
an indorsement of our views on this subject as to 
be willing to have them appear as his own. The 
following are the rules :— 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


155 


1. Eat slowly, masticating the food very thor¬ 
oughly, even more so, if possible, than is required 
in health. The more time the food spends in the 
mouth, the less it will spend in the stomach. 

2. Avoid drinking at meals ; at most, take a 
few sips of warm drink at the close of the meal, 
if the food is very dry in character. 

3. In general, dyspeptic stomachs manage dry 
food better than that containing much fluid. 

4. Eat neither very hot nor very cold food. 
The best temperature is about that of the body. 
Avoid exposure to cold after eating. 

5. Be careful to avoid excess in eating. Eat 
no more than the wants of the system require. 
Sometimes less than is really needed must be 
taken when the digestion is very weak. Strength 
depends not on what is eaten, but on what is di¬ 
gested 

6. Never take violent exercise of any sort, 
either mental or physical, just before or just after 
a meal. It is not good to sleep immediately after 
eatino-, nor within four hours of a meal. 

7. Never eat more than three times a day ; 
and make the last meal very light. For many 
dyspeptics, two meals are better than more. 

8. Never eat a morsel of £tny sort between 
meals. 

9. Never eat when very tired, whether ex¬ 
hausted from mental or physical labor. 

10. Never eat when the mind is worried or the 
temper ruffled, if possible to avoid doing so. 



156 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


11. Eat only food that is easy of digestion, 
avoiding complicated and indigestible dishes, and 
taking but one to three kinds at a meal. 

12. Most persons will be benefited by the use 
of oatmeal, wheat meal, or graham flour, cracked 
wheat, and other whole-grain preparations, though 
many will find it necessary to avoid vegetables, 
especially when fruits are taken. 

Sleeplessness. —This most annoying and ex¬ 
hausting symptom may be greatly relieved by 
attention to the following suggestions :— 

1. Retire early, having taken, an hour or so 
before, sufficient muscular exercise to induce slight 
weariness. 

2. Eat nothing within four hours of bed-time. 

If “faint” at the stomach, drink half a glass of 
hot lemonade, made as already directed. If this 
does not suffice, a mellow, sweet or subacid apple 
may be taken an hour before retiring, unless fruit 
occasions pain or acidity. v 

o. If feverish, the skin being hot and dry, take 
a light hand bath with tepid water upon retiring. 

4. If tioubled with cold feet and hands, employ 
the means suggested for the cure of cold feet. 

5. Sleep in a cool room, but take care to see 
that the bedding is well aired and dry, and the 
room well ventilated. 

6. When nervousness causes loss of sleep, there 
are various methods of inducing slumber, one of 
the most efficient being slow, deep, and steady 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


157 


breathing. By this means the lungs are filled 
with blood, and the brain is thus relieved of the 
congestion which causes wakefulness. 

Ague. —Ague, or intermittent fever, is one of 
the most common of all diseases in malarious 
districts. It prevails especially in the spring 
and autumn months. The exciting cause of the 
disease is a certain poisonous miasm which rises 
from low lands which are alternately flooded and 
dried during the warm season. 

Bilious or remittent fever is produced by the 
same cause. These diseases are so common that 
we need not describe their symptoms. 

Prevention .—The following suggestions re¬ 
specting prevention will be found useful:— 

1. Unless compelled by dire necessity to do 
otherwise, do not live in a malarious district; in 
other words, seek a residence that is as remote 
as possible from localities where malaria is known 
to be produced. 

2. If your residence is already fixed in a malari¬ 
ous district, employ every means possible to pre¬ 
vent the reception of the poison into the system 
and to counteract its effects. Avoid being in the 
vicinity of the malarious localities during the 
evening and early morning, since at these times 
the miasm settles near the ground. Secure, if 
possible, a dense growth of trees between the 
source of malaria and the residence ; if this is im¬ 
practicable, plant, every year, in the same place, 



158 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


a large area of sunflowers, which serve the pur¬ 
pose of destroying the miasm. 

8. Keep the system in as free and clear a con¬ 
dition as possible by avoiding such habits and 
such articles of diet as will impair the integrity 
of the liver, skin, kidneys, lungs, and other elim¬ 
inating organs. This will enable the system to 
eliminate the poison without its occasioning dis¬ 
ease. 

Treatment .—At the beginning of the disease, 
give the patient a vapor-bath on the well day, 
and in case the chill occurs every other day, re¬ 
peat the treatment on each well day for a week. 
During the chill, surround the patient with warm 
blankets, hot bricks, bed-warmers, a jug of hot 
water, or any other means of imparting artificial 
heat; but be careful to avoid applying water to 
the surface of the body, unless it be to the head. 
Care should be exercised to remove the hot ap¬ 
plications as soon as the fever begins to appear. 
When the fever is at its height, sponge the body 
with tepid water. The sponging may be repeated 
at intervals while the fever continues. During 
the sweating stage, frequently wipe the skin with 
a soft cloth; and when the sweating ceases, 
change the patient s clothing after a thorough 
sponging of the body. If there is a tendency to 
sweat at night, administer the wet rubbing-sheet 
at bedtime. If the vapor-bath cannot be given, 
the wet-sheet pack is a very good substitute. 

The diet should be very simple. Oatmeal or 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


159 


graham gruel, with ripe fruit and dry toast or 
graham crackers, constitutes an admirable dieta¬ 
ry for a person suffering with ague. 

In case the chill occurs every day, the vapor- 
bath or pack should be given in the afternoon or 
every other day after the paroxysm is past. If 
the severity of the disease is unabated after this 
treatment has been thoroughly applied for a week 
or ten days, it would be well to resort to direct 
means for breaking the periodicity of the disease. 
A very efficient means of doing this is to get the 
patient into a profuse sweat by surrounding him 
with hot bricks, warm blankets, and other hot 
applications, twenty minutes before the time for 
the chill to begin. The patient should be kept 
very warm for an hour or two, or until all dan¬ 
ger of chilling is past. Care should be exercised 
not to press this means to such a degree as to 
produce violent congestion of the head. If this 
plan fails after two or three thorough trials, the 
use of an antiperiodic medicine will break the 
chills, and then the patient will make a rapid re¬ 
covery. Medicine properly used will do the sys¬ 
tem less harm than the prolongation of the disease ; 
for the popular theory that it is better to wear 
out the disease than to check it in any way, is a 
great error. The long continuance of the disease 
is exceedingly damaging to the system, while it 
is in no way beneficial. In many instances, con¬ 
sumption, dropsy, and other grave and fatal dis¬ 
eases, are produced by allowing ague to continue 
until the vital forces of the patient are exhausted. 



160 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Incontinence of Urine in Children. —For 

‘'wetting the bed at night/’ the most effective 
plan which can be pursued, is to restrain the patient 
from drinking for three or four hours before 
retiring. An eminent physician has suggested 
that the free use of meat by children encourages 
the habit. Whipping, unless the child is lazy or 
vicious, will do no good ; in fact, these measures 
are likely to do harm by exciting a nervous con¬ 
dition of the system, which will encourage the 
very thing which is to be corrected. Wearing a 
wet bandage about the lower part of the bowels 
at night is a very useful measure. To prevent 
the patient from sleeping upon the back, a good 
remedy is to tie a knot in a towel, and place it 
about the body in such a way that the knot will 
come at the center of the back. 

Worms.— Various kinds of worms infest the 
human body. Children are particularly liable to 
them, I or the small worms which are found in 
the rectum, perfect cleanliness, regularity of the 
bowels, daily enemas of salt water, and anointing 
the anus with sweet-oil, are the best remedies. 
Indigestion and constipation are the chief causes. 

Tape-worm and the large round worm require 
more energetic measures of treatment. For the 
first, the best remedy known is the seed of the 
common pumpkin. Take two ounces of fresh 
seeds, remove the shells, and beat them to a paste 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


161 


with an equal quantity of finely pulverized white 
sugar. Add a little milk or water, and take at 
one dose after fasting twenty-four hours. After 
three hours, take a table-spoonful of castor-oil. 
If this does not dislodge the worm, there proba¬ 
bly is none. Many people imagine they have 
tape-worm when they have not. For a child, the 
dose should be about one-lialf that for an adult. 
The fluid extract of the seeds can be obtained at 
the stores, the dose of which is half a fluid ounce. 

For the round worms, worm seed, chenopodium, 
is one of the best remedies. To a child two or 
three years old give half a dram of the seed in 
sirup or honey, night and morning, for three or 
four days in succession. After the last dose, give 
a tea-spoonful of castor-oil. Five or ten drops of 
the oil may be given with sugar in place of the 
seed. 

Constipation. —Torpidity of the large intes¬ 
tine is a condition very common among seden¬ 
tary people, especially women. It is the result, 
in part, of eating fine-flour bread and irritating 
condiments. One of the greatest causes—the 
chief, perhaps—is neglect to attend promptly to 
the calls of nature. When the feces are retained 
in the rectum, they become hard and dry through 
the absorption of their fluid portion. Thus a 
considerable part of this foul matter is taken 
into the system, permeating every fluid and taint¬ 
ing every tissue. The dry, hard residue becomes 
packed in the intestine, and makes defecation 

11 





162 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


difficult, and is productive of several serious 
diseases of the bowels and other abdominal or¬ 
gans. 

Nothing could be more injurious than the use 
of purgatives as remedies for this difficulty. No 
matter under what form or name they are taken, 
they always aggravate the disease in the end, 
though they seem to give temporary relief. Be¬ 
sides, these “ aperients,” “ laxatives,” “ purgative 
pellets,” and “ cathartics ” are the most potent 
causes of dyspepsia. To cure the difficulty do 
this :— 

1. Exercise plentifully and regularly in the 
open air. 

2. Eat no bolted flour. Instead, eat wheat 
meal, or graham flour, oatmeal, rye, barley, 
crushed wheat, etc. Eat plenty of fruit, spar¬ 
ingly of milk, sugar, and condiments. Discard 
hot drinks at meals. Knead and percuss the ab¬ 
domen gently for half an hour each day, or five 
minutes at a time, and several times a day. By 
regularity in habits, accustom the bowels to 
move at a certain hour each day. Secure an ac¬ 
tion of the bowels at least once each day, if pos¬ 
sible, but do not resort to the continued use of 
the enema to effect it. Drink a glass of cold 
water half an hour before breakfast, if it does 
not disagree with the stomach. 

Foul and Profuse Perspiration. —This con¬ 
dition is most commonly found in the feet, although 
the armpits and other parts of the body are some- 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


163 


times affected. The following treatment will be 
found successful in most cases :— 

Just before retiring at night, take a hot and 
cold foot-bath, dipping the feet first in cold water 
then in hot, allowing them to remain in each for 
about one-half minute, and repeating the operation 
fifteen or twenty times. Then wipe with a soft 
towel, and when nearly dry, rub with subnitrate 
of bismuth, using a large teaspoonful of the pow¬ 
der for each foot. 

Cold Feet.—Cold feet are due to deficient 
circulation. Administer the alternate hot-and- 
cold foot-bath as directed for chilblains, several 
times a day, if possible ; at least, twice a day. 
Wear large, thick boots or shoes, and thick 
woolen stockings. Keep the feet dry. Exer¬ 
cise. Allow no constriction about the limbs, as 
garters or elastics. Clothe the upper portions of 
the limbs warmly. Do not wear rubbers except 
for a little while at a time when necessary. 
Electric or galvanic soles are of no use what¬ 
ever. The feet should be kept perfectly clean, 
and the stockings should be changed every day, 
being allowed to air one day, when they may be 
worn again. Three changes a week are none 
too many for cleanliness and warmth. Cork 
soles are useful. 

Heart-Burn.—This unpleasant affection has 
nothing to do with the heart. It is the result of 
fermentation of the food, which produces irritat¬ 
ing acids. These are thrown up into the mouth, 




164 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


producing a burning sensation. A few sips of 
hot or cold water will commonly give relief. 

Sometimes a warm-water emetic is required. 
Soda and magnesia, which are so often used, are 
productive of a vast amount of mischief. They 
never cure, but increase the real disease, and 
sometimes cause fatal injury to the stomach and 
intestines. 

% 

Crick in the Back. —This curious malady is 
sometimes relieved as quickly as produced, by 
stretching the back by bending backward across 
a log or fence. Hot fomentations, with vigorous 
rubbing, usually give relief quite readily. 

Stitch in the Side. —This difficulty is of the 
same character as the preceding. Hot appli¬ 
cations usually give prompt relief. A tight flan¬ 
nel bandage should be worn about the trunk 
after the fomentation has been ffiven. 

O 

Lumbago. —Alternate hot and cold applica¬ 
tions followed by thorough rubbing and percus¬ 
sion are the best local applications. Systematic 
treatment, and attention to the general health, are 
also required. 

Bilousness.—Every spring the quack doctors, 
patent medicine manufacturers, retail druggists, 
and nostrum venders, reap a rich harvest from the 
multitudes who seek to be cured of biliousness 
by purgatives, alteratives, “ blood-purifiers,” and 
anti-bilous pills. This is one of the great pop- 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


165 


ular delusions upon which charlatans and drug¬ 
gists fatten. The ill feelings which are inter¬ 
preted to mean too much bile, really mean too 
much fat pork, too much sugar, too much grease, 
too much mince-pie, too much cake and preserves, 
too much fried sausage; in fact, too much of all 
kinds of food, whether good or bad. April and 
May bring the penalty of the transgressions of 
the winter months. Flagrant outrages against 
Nature in the matter of food and drink are often 
seemingly borne with impunity during the cold 
months; but if the same line of conduct is ex¬ 
tended into the warmer months, all the symp¬ 
toms of “ biliousness ” appear. 

The proper cure for " biliousness ” is, first, Ab¬ 
stinence for a day or two until Nature can get rid 
of a little of the grossness which clogs her ma¬ 
chinery ; second, Avoidance of the cause; third, 
A few packs, fomentations over the liver, and 
the daily dry-hand rub, with a wholesome diet. 
Lemons and other acid fruit seem to have a 
favorable influence upon this condition of the 
system. 

Most “ bitters ” are compounds of various nau¬ 
seous drugs and poisons, and bad whisky. All of 
them contain alcohol. “ Temperance Bitters ” 
and “ Vinegar Bitters ” are no exceptions. Some 
contain more alcohol and fusel-oil than do brandy, 
gin, or rum. The various “ blood tonics,” “ puri¬ 
fiers,” “ invigorators,” etc., are of the same char¬ 
acter. Their manufacturers are deserving of a 






16G 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


place in the deepest part of the bottomless pit; 
for they lay snares for the unwary, making 
drunkards of the best and most promising men 
and youth. Their pretensions are all falsehoods, 
and their testimonials are either fraudulent or 
the result of bribery. Can bitters purify the 
blood ? Never. As well talk of cleansing a 
delicate fabric with slime from a cess-pool. 

Cramps.—Relief is given by the hot or cold 
douche, hot fomentations, rubbing with cold 
water, and by pressing the affected muscle against 
some hard body, or grasping it firmly with the 
hand. Cramp in the stomach may require an 
emetic of warm water, with a hot sitz-bath and 
foot-bath in addition to fomentations. 

Palpitation of the Heart.— Indigestion is the 
usual cause. It will cease when the cause is re¬ 
moved. It need not be a cause of alarm in 
ordinary cases. If the patient has had rheuma¬ 
tism he should have his heart examined by a 
physician. A sudden attack of palpitation may 
often be relieved by warming the feet and 
limbs, and applying hot fomentations over the 
stomach and bowels. 

Indigestion. —Proper food, eaten in proper 
quantity, and at the proper times, ought to be 
properly digested. In rare cases, only, it may 
not be. When it is discovered that an article of 
food is really injurious to digestion, discard it at 
once. Eat few kinds at a meal. Avoid eating 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


167 


fruits and vegetables together. Do not drink 
at meals. Eat slowly. Eat mostly dry food. Do 
not sleep soon after eating. If the stomach is 
slow in its action, hot fomentations and gentle 
kneading soon after eating will promote diges¬ 
tion. Salt and other condiments are often the 
cause of indigestion. 

Sometimes oatmeal gruel, eaten with dry crack¬ 
ers, will be retained and digested when nothing 
else will be. Other cases will not tolerate any 
kind of farinaceous food. 

A young infant which is for any reason de¬ 
prived of its natural food, and rejects everything 
else, will thrive upon a mixture of raw white of 
egg in water—the white of one egg to a half pint 
of tepid water. The water should not be hot 
enough to coagulate the egg. Thoroughly mix, 
and feed with a spoon. 

Softening of the Brain. —So-called softening 
of the brain is usually not softening of the brain. 
It is simply congestion of the brain from bad 
food,, bad air, late hours, dissipation, lack of ex¬ 
ercise, and sundry other causes. Healthy food, 
a daily bath, abundant sleep, and plenty of exer¬ 
cise in the open air, will cure nearly every case 
in a short time. 

Consumption. —Is consumption curable ? It 
is, if taken in time. The following hints, if care¬ 
fully followed, will arrest the disease in its early 
stages:— 





168 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


1. Avoid all the causes of the disease, chief 
among which are breathing air which has been 
previously breathed, sedentary habits, late hours, 
and exposure to extremes of temperature. 

2. Live in the open air at least seven hours a 
day. Exercise sufficiently to produce moderate 
fatigue, but not exhaustion. Walking and horse¬ 
back riding are good exercises. 

3. Fill the lungs to their utmost capacity sev¬ 
eral times in succession, every hour, of the day 
at least; and cultivate the habit of deep breath¬ 
ing. Do not strain the lungs by holding the 
breath long. Keep the shoulders well thrown 
back. 

4. Avoid all kinds of stimulants and stimulat¬ 
ing food. Eat the most nourishing kinds of 
food. The chance for recovery largely depends 
upon the amount of nutriment which can be 
well digested and assimilated. 

5. Take a thorough tepid sponge-bath, fol¬ 
lowed by a dry-hand rub, three times a week. 
The whole body should be thoroughly rubbed 
with the dry hand each morning. 

6. Wear flannel the year round ; thick in win¬ 
ter, thin in summer. A silk under-suit is an 
excellent protective. 

7. Avoid every form of cough sirup, balsam, 
cough mixtures, lozenges, expectorants, etc., etc., 
no matter how strongly recommended. Cod- 
liver oil, fat pork, bullock’s blood, and similar 
remedies are as useless as absurd and disgusting. 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


1G9 


Be sure to begin in season. A few months’ 
delay has often sacrificed the last chance. At 
the first symptom of the disease, an experienced 
physician should be consulted. 

Yo mi ting. —If the patient evidently has 
something in his stomach which ought not to be 
there, as indigested food, or something obnoxious 
which has been swallowed, administer a warm- 
water emetic to assist in the removal of the cause 
of the difficulty. If there is no evidence of any¬ 
thing in the stomach which needs expulsion, ap¬ 
ply either very cold or very hot cloths over the 
stomach, place the feet in hot water, and give 
sips of either hot or cold water, or little bits of 
ice to swallow. The attempt should not be made 
to check the vomiting unless it is clear that the 
stomach has been freed from its irritating con¬ 
tents, if this was the cause which induced it at 
first. 

Bleeding Piles.—Piles, or hemorrhoids, is a 
disease in which the veins of the rectum, through 
obstruction of the portal circulation, have become 
varicose. The tumors, or hard bunches, which 
protrude from the rectum are dilated veins, the 
distended walls of which frequently become so 
thin as to rupture, thus causing hemorrhage. 
This may vary in degree from a small streak of 
blood upon the passage to so great a quantity as 
to endanger the patient’s life. A cure consists in 
removing the cause, which may be a congested 



170 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


liver or habitual constipation of the bowels; and 
in most cases, removal of the hemorrhoidal tumor's 
by some one of the various approved methods is 
necessary. Sufferers from this disease will find 
great mitigation from their inconveniences by the 
adoption of a few simple measures of treatment 
which, though not curative, sometimes afford so 
great a measure of relief as to render the patient 
unwilling to submit to any severer methods for 
the purpose of effecting a radical cure. When the 
movement of the bowels is accompanied by very 
great pain, the patient should sit over a vessel 
filled with very hot water. When there is much 
bleeding, the use of a decoction of hamamelis, or 
witch-hazel, made by adding one ounce of the 
fluid extract to a pint of water, is beneficial. 

Hiccough [hickup].—This troublesome affec¬ 
tion is usually caused by a disordered stomach. 
Get the stomach in good condition, and it will 
disappear. A few sips of cold water will often 
relieve it. Perhaps the best remedy is holding 
the breath and fixing the attention intently upon 
some object. 

Sneezing. —When suddenly seized with a de¬ 
sire to sneeze, place the finger upon the upper 
lip and press hard. Rubbing the nose vigor¬ 
ously will also suppress the paroxysm when it 
is desirable to do so. When the affection is 
caused by disease of the nasal cavity, it will not 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


171 


be so easily controlled. The inhalation of steam, 
and the warm or cold nasal douche, or gently 
drawing water into the nose, will frequently 
give material relief. 

Bad Breath. —The chief causes are catarrh, 
decayed teeth, foul teeth, disordered stomach, 
and constipation. The remedy is to remove the 
cause. If there are foul and decaying accumu¬ 
lations in the nose, remove them by syringing 
the nose with a weak solution of permanganate 
of potash, common salt, or tepid water. Simply 
snuffing the fluid gently into the nose is quite 
effective. The fluid should not be thrown vio¬ 
lently into the nose, as injury may result there¬ 
from. 

Decayed teeth should be either filled or drawn 
their presence in the mouth is not only a cause 
of offense, but is productive of disease of the 
stomach, besides being a source of impurities 
which find their way into the blood through the 
lungs. 

Uncleanly teeth are quite certain to decay 
sooner than those which are kept free from im¬ 
purities. If the food which adheres to the teeth 
and lodges between them is allowed to remain, 
it speedily undergoes putrefaction and becomes 
very offensive. The teeth should be cleansed 
with a brush and pure water after each meal, 
and soon after rising in the morning. Once a 
day, at least, they should be thoroughly brushed 



172 


PllACTICAL MANUAL OF 


with fine soap and pulverized chalk. Artificial 
teeth need especial attention. They should be 
daily washed with fine soap and a solution of 
carbolic acid and water, in proportion of a tea¬ 
spoonful of the acid to a pint of soft water. 
Shake well before using. Do not wear artificial 
teeth during the night. 

A solution of chlorinated soda, which can be 
procured of any druggist, is a most excellent ar¬ 
ticle for cleansing the mouth and the teeth. It 
should be used freely. 

When disorder of the stomach is the cause, it 
must be cured, to purify the breath. 

If the contents of the bowels are retained, in¬ 
stead of being promptly voided, their fluid por¬ 
tion will be absorbed into the blood with all 
their noxious and disgusting properties. The 
characteristic odor can be easily detected in the 
breath of persons whose bowels are constipated 
or irregular. Few things are more offensive than 
the breath of a costive child. 

The proper remedies for foul breath from this 
cause are pointed out under the head, “ Consti¬ 
pation.” No amount of good looks can atone 
for a foul breath. Cleanliness and wholesome 
diet are all that are necessary to remove it. It 
is a very disgusting thought that the breath 
may contain what ought to have been voided 
from the bowels some time before. 

Sleeplessness. —Eat an early and light sup¬ 
per of easily digested food; or, better, eat no 






HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


173 


supper at all. Do not engage in exciting conver¬ 
sation or amusements during the evening. At 
an early hour prepare to retire, determined to 
sleep. Just before going to bed, soak the feet 
for ten minutes in a pail of hot water. Cool the 
water a little just before taking them out. This 
will relieve the brain of a little of its surplus 
blood. Go to bed at peace with all the world, 
close the eyes, and fix the mind steadily upon 
some familiar object until sleep comes. Don’t 
allow the mind to wander if possible to prevent 
it. If unsuccessful, in addition to the above 
have hot wet cloths applied to the head after 
going to bed. A dripping-sheet bath just be¬ 
fore retiring sometimes affords excellent results. 
Gently rubbing the temples with the hand, and 
rubbing the spine from above downward and the 
feet and limbs in the same direction, have a very 
soothing effect. The warm full-bath is an excel¬ 
lent soporific. 

Ulcers. —Old ulcers on various parts of the 
body are frequently very offensive as well as 
painful. To remove the odor emitted by the 
discharges, wash them thoroughly twice a day in * 
a weak solution of carbolic acid or permanganate 
of potash. The application will also do some¬ 
thing toward healing it. The water-dressing 
and a strict diet are the best remedial agents. 

Chafing. —Fleshy persons and children are 
often seriously troubled by chafing in hot weath- 




174 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


er. Daily cleansing of the affected parts with 
cool water and fine soap, and local tepid bathing, 
repeated several times a day, will prove the most 
efficient remedies. Anointing the parts with 
sweet cream or a little unsalted butter, and ap¬ 
plying dry, powdered starch, are useful measures. 
Cleanliness is the most important remedy. 

Canker. —The small white ulcers which some¬ 
times occur in the mouths of both children and 
adults are commonly known by this name, which 
really belongs to a much more serious affection. 
They indicate derangement of the stomach. The 
proper remedies are, improvement of the diges¬ 
tion, washing the mouth frequently with cold 
water, and touching the cankers with nitric acid, 
lunar caustic, or some other caustic application. 
Various astringent washes are used with some 
benefit. 

Chapped Hands, Feet, and Lips.— Wet, cold, 
and dirt are the chief causes. The use of poor 
soap, and imperfectly drying the hands before 
exposure to cold, are the exciting causes of 
chapped hands in most cases. To cure, keep 
them scrupulously clean. Wash them with 
castile soap and soft water. After wiping them 
nearly dry, rub them with finely powdered starch. 

Washing the hands with water to which a 
handful of bran or corn meal has been added, is 
a good remedy. 

Another remedy : After thorough washing and 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


175 


drying, at night, apply glycerine, adding a few 
drops of soft water, and rubbing in well. Wear 
gloves during the night. 

Sweet cream is another common remedy. 
Honey is warmly recommended by some. The 
wet bandage is one of the best of all. 

The same remedies are to be used for the lips 
and feet as for the hands. When fissures, or 
cracks, occur, keep the edges together by means 
of adhesive plaster, until the broken parts have 
had time to heal. 

Freckles. —There are two kinds of freckles. 
Those which are produced by exposure to sun and 
wind are very superficial, and are easily removed 
by such substances as will remove the superficial 
cellular layers of the skin. Among the best rem¬ 
edies for this purpose are the following :— 

1. Three tablespoonfuls of fresh-scraped horse¬ 
radish ; buttermilk, a pint. Allow to soak six or 
eight hours, shaking occasionally. Cider vinegar 
is sometimes used in place of the horse-radish. 
Apply to the face at night, leaving on till morning. 

2. Two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice ; an equal 
quantity of water ; a tablespoonful of glycerine ; 
a heaping teaspoonful of powdered borax. Apply 
three or four times a day, drying after fifteen or 
twenty minutes with a fluffy towel. 

Sore Eyes. —Ordinary inflammation of the 
eyes is greatly relieved by laying upon them one 




176 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


or two thicknesses of linen cloth wet in tepid 
water. Smarting of the eyes when reading will 
usually be relieved by moistening them often 
with water. Never use eye-water or caustic un¬ 
less under the advice of a skillful oculist. 

Near-sightedness. —If the eyes are near¬ 
sighted, they should be at once provided with 
suitable glasses, or they will suffer injury. The 
glasses should be adapted to the eye by an expe¬ 
rienced oculist. 

Far-sightedness. —Like the preceding, this 
disease needs immediate attention, although less 
injury will result from some neglect in this case. 

Baldness. —Cut the hair short, and bathe the 
head twice a day in cool water, adding consider¬ 
able friction with a brush of medium stiffness. 
Keep the feet warm, and maintain good digestion. 
If the hair follicles are not destroyed, the hair 
will grow again ; otherwise it will not. The va¬ 
rious lotions sold for this purpose are poisonous, 
and produce diseases which are sometimes fatal. 

Itch. —The disease is caused by a parasite 
which burrows under the skin. The object of 
treatment is to kill the insect. It is perhaps 
possible to do this by means of water alone ; But 
as the only applications necessary are made to 
the skin only, no harm can result from the care¬ 
ful use of more speedy and effective remedies. 
Sulphur is the most reliable remedy. Take two 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


177 


ounces of lard, one ounce of sulphur, and one- 
eighth ounce of powdered sal-ammoniac. Mix 
well and apply at night after thoroughly wash¬ 
ing the affected parts in strong soap-suds. Al¬ 
low the ointment to remain on over night. Wash 
it off thoroughly in the morning, and put on clean 
clothes. Repeat the same treatment three or four 
times in succession. An ointment of storax and 
lard, one part of the former to four of the latter, 
is quite efficient. Perfect cleanliness is essential 
to successful treatment. The application of oil 
and lard alone is said to cure by half a dozen 
applications. Mercurial preparations should he 
avoided, as they sometimes poison the system. 

Lice.—Animal parasites of various kinds which 
infest the body, abound only when their presence 
is encouraged by filth. They usually disappear 
very quickly when absolute cleanliness is pre¬ 
served. If they do not at once vanish, the ap¬ 
plication of an ointment made of one part of 
Scotch snuff to two of lard will speedily destroy 
them. This ointment is quite poisonous, and 
should be quickly removed after thorough appli¬ 
cation. 

Warts. —If the Avart is small, it may be cured 
by touching it with the end of a stick which has 
been dipped in strong acetic acid. The applica¬ 
tion should be made several times a day until it 
is destroyed. If large and old, apply nitric acid 
in the same way. Lunar caustic and caustic 
potash may also be used. 





178 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Corns. —These are excrescences produced by a 
morbid growth of the skin. They are caused 
either by friction or by pressure, and are usually 
the result of wearing a tight and otherwise ill- 
fitting boot or shoe. Corns are not always pro¬ 
duced by tight shoes or boots, being often occa¬ 
sioned by the friction of loosely fitting foot-gear. 

There are two varieties of corns, hard and soft. 
Hard corns are formed upon the outside of the 
toes; soft corns are produced between the toes. 

To cure a corn, the first thing to be done is to 
soften it. To accomplish this, soak the foot in 
hot water for one hour every night, and then ap¬ 
ply a cloth saturated with a strong solution of 
saleratus. Continue this treatment for three or 
four days; then remove the corn with a thin, 
sliarp-bladed knife, carefully working the instru¬ 
ment between the corn and the healthy skin be¬ 
neath. If the whole corn has been removed, all 
that now remains to be done is to protect the 
part from pressure. This may be very easily ac¬ 
complished by placing over it a piece of soft buck¬ 
skin, in which an opening has been made of the 
exact size of the corn, which should be placed ex¬ 
actly over the seat of the disease. By this sim¬ 
ple means, the diseased surface will be wholly 
protected from pressure. Any tendency to hard¬ 
en will be prevented by keeping the buckskin 
saturated with sweet-oil. This simple treatment, 
if thoroughly applied, will rarely fail to cure any 
corn. 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


179 


Bunions. —These originate in the same way 
as corns, and require somewhat similar treatment. 
Soaking the feet in hot water when they are in¬ 
flamed, and bathing with cool water at other 
times, gives great relief. If there is much thick¬ 
ening of the skin, apply a caustic, as nitrate of 
silver, or lunar caustic. When the black surface 
comes off*, apply the caustic again. Wearing a 
piece of soft buckskin, as directed for corns, to 
prevent pressure, is a useful remedy. 

Boils. —The application of heat and cold, al¬ 
ternately, will sometimes disperse a boil in the 
early stage. When it becomes painful, apply 
hot fomentations frequently, with the wet com¬ 
press during the intervals, or apply continuously 
a soft poultice. The wet compress covered with 
oil-silk has the same effect as the poultice. The 
kind of poultice is quite immaterial, if it be un¬ 
irritating, for its only valuable properties are 
warmth and moisture. 

When the boil is ripe, that is, when a little 
white vesicle appears near the surface, its cure 
may be hastened by lancing with a sharp knife. 
The discharge may be encouraged by gentle pres¬ 
sure ; but squeezing boils is a very harmful proc¬ 
ess, and greatly retards their cure. If they do 
not discharge freely after opening, poultice or ap¬ 
ply fomentations. Applications for the treat¬ 
ment of boils should be made to the surrounding 
tissues as well as to the boil itself, to be effective. 



180 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


A carbuncle is simply a large boil. A sty is a 
small one upon the eyelid. Treatment for each 

the same as for ordinary boils. 

It is a mistaken notion that the purulent mat¬ 
ters discharged from boils are concentrated im¬ 
purities which previously existed in the blood. 
The pus itself is made up of the white blood 
corpuscles, the most precious part of the blood. 
The discharge contains impurities, but most of 
them are the result of the death of the tissues 
which have suffered in the inflammation. It is 
yet an undeniable fact that many persons experi¬ 
ence an improvement in health after having sev¬ 
eral boils, whatever may be the explanation. 
The contents of a boil are very poisonous to the 
system when absorbed into the blood. 

Stone-Bruise. —This disease, usually the re¬ 
sult of accident, is of a nature similar to felon. 
The intense pain often present is relieved by 
placing the part in very cold water. It may be 
treated nearly like a felon. 

Felon. —The real disease is an abscess formed 
beneath the periosteum, or skin of the bone. It 
may sometimes be dispersed by the application 
of turpentine or other strong irritants, or. by 
holding the finger in strong lye as hot as can be 
borne for half an hour, several times a day. 
Keeping the hand constantly in ice-cold water 
gives great relief, and sometimes prevents the 
further progress of the disease if employed in 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


181 


time. Relief is also afforded by the cold douche, 
arm-bath, and wearing the cold compress upon 
the arm and hand. When the disease is mani¬ 
festly settled, the quickest remedy is found in 
lancing the finger to the bone. Warm fomenta¬ 
tions and poultices may afterward be applied, to 
encourage the discharge. 

Hang-Nail. —If the toe is greatly inflamed, it 
should be placed in a warm foot-bath, an hour at 
a time, three times a day. During the intervals, 
it should be covered with a poultice made of 
bread and milk, linseed, or slippery elm. By 
this means, the inflammation and tenderness will 
be greatly reduced. The next step in treatment 
should be to scrape the center of the nail with a 
sharp knife until it becomes as thin as possible 
without exposing the flesh. Then slightly ele¬ 
vate the outer edge of the hang-nail for the pui- 
pose, and place underneath it delicate pledgets 
of cotton. If the nail penetrates the flesh so 
deeply as to make this impossible, it may be 
necessary to remove a very small portion by 
splitting it off with a sharp knife. A still better 
way is to crowd underneath the diseased por¬ 
tion of the nail delicate filaments of floss-silk, 
drawing in one portion after anothei until the 
nail is elevated out of the tender flesh. The nail 
may be still farther elevated by the employment 
of the same means, while the poultices aie con¬ 
tinued, till a complete and permanent cure is 
effected. 




182 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Diseases of Women. —The declining health 
and strength of American women has come to be 
a very common observation. Very few young 
ladies of the present day can compare with their 
grandmothers of the last generation in powers of 
physical endurance. Physicians generally ac¬ 
knowledge that at least three-fourths of their 
practice is derived from diseases of women. The 
causes of this general and notable decline are 
well worth consideration. We will briefly hint 
at a few. 

Fashionable Dress .—No one cause has done 
more to undermine woman’s physical health than 
her devotion to dress. Whatever fashion dic¬ 
tated, she has felt in duty bound to follow, no 
matter if in so doing she committed the grossest 
violations of the laws of health. In thus doing, 
she has compelled her poor body to undergo the 
most inhuman tortures. She has heaped upon her 
sensitive, nervous head, a cruel load of artificial 
hair; nearly choked herself to death with belts 
and corsets, and squeezed her vital organs into 
most unnatural shapes; contorted her tender feet 
into misshapen masses with tight shoes and high 
heels; and disturbed her whole vital economy 
by surrounding her vital organs with a super¬ 
abundance of clothing while suffering her limbs 
to go almost unclad, no matter how cold and 
damp the weather. With such abuse is it strange 
that she complains of headaches, lung troubles, 
weak back, and general debility ? 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


183 


Sedentary Habits are another prolific cause 
of woman’s decline. Confinement within doors, 
without a proper amount of physical exercise, 
results in deficient development of the muscular 
system, and various weaknesses follow which 
render her feeble and inefficient. Too much 
novel reading, piano thrumming, parlor lounging, 
and day-dreaming are ruining the constitutions of 
thousands of the young ladies of the present day. 

Late Hours .—Fashionable dissipation at any 
time is bad enough ; but when continued to a late 
hour of the night, or even until early morning, 
when the system is exhausted for want of rest, 
it becomes doubly enervating. Sleep is Natures 
opportunity for repairing the wastes which oc¬ 
cur during the hours of wakefulness. The nerv¬ 
ous system wears out faster than any other pait 
of the body ; hence it suffers more severely than 
any other part when deprived of proper oppor¬ 
tunity for repair. Is it any wonder, then, that 
so many ladies are nervous and hysterical, and 
constantly complaining of headaches, neuralgias, 
and weak nerves ? 

Bad Diet .—Improper dress, with deficient ex¬ 
ercise and late hours, with the usual accompani¬ 
ments of dancing and feasting, so enervate the 
system as to create a demand for artificial stimu¬ 
lation, in the form of strong tea and coffee, 
mustard, pepper, spices, animal food, and all sorts 
of highly seasoned dishes. The certain result of 
this abuse of the digestive organs is dyspepsia in 




184 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


some one of its myriad forms. Torpidity of the 
liver and skin are accompanying evils which 
may properly be traced to the same cause. The 
loss of that clearness and brilliancy of complexion 
which exist only in health, leads to the use of cos¬ 
metics of various sorts, which, in many cases, still 
further undermine the health and injure the skin. 

Sexual Sins .—One of the most potent though 
usually obscure causes of woman’s physical de¬ 
cline, is that referred to in the heading of this 
paragraph. Transgressions of Nature’s laws in 
this regard are attended with results the most 
fearful that humanity can suffer. Sexual ex¬ 
cesses, for which she is usually only in small de¬ 
gree responsible, not only occasion their own sad 
results, but lead to the perpetration of such hor¬ 
rible crimes against Nature as prevention of con¬ 
ception, and foeticide or abortion. Thousands of 
women have by some form of sexual transgres¬ 
sion brought upon themselves diseases and weak¬ 
nesses which entail life-long suffering. These 
evils are becoming so prevalent that unless 
checked they threaten to exterminate the race* 
The Abuse of Drugs. —Last, but not least, in 
the list of enemies to woman’s health, we men¬ 
tion drugs. Medicines of this class undoubtedly 
have their legitimate place; but they are subject 
to great abuse. The general tendency of most 
of the other causes mentioned is to produce ob¬ 
stinate constipation of the bowels. For this evil 
a remedy is sought in laxatives of various sorts, 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


185 


after-dinner pills, and purgatives. These give 
temporary relief, only to exaggerate the difficulty 
which they are expected to remove. Tonics are 
demanded to support the waning strength, which 
is not replenished by proper rest and well-di¬ 
gested food. Nervines and opiates are required 
to quiet the weak and irritable nervous system. 
Chloral and morphia become indispensable to 
procure sleep. Headaches and neuralgias neces¬ 
sitate fresh doses of narcotic drugs. Hysterical 
attacks call for antispasmodics. General debility 
is an indication for stimulants, while torpor of 
the liver, skin, and system generally, suggests 
the need of alteratives. Thus the life becomes a 
daily round of dosing. One after another vari¬ 
ous drugs lose their effect, and are replaced by 
others more powerful. Meanwhile the system 
grows daily weaker, more torpid, and more dis¬ 
eased. 

Such trifling with Nature is in the highest de¬ 
gree reprehensible, and may prove fatal to the 
strongest constitution. Drugs rarely cure such 
maladies. No remedy is of any value which 
does not reach the causes of the diseased condi¬ 
tions to be removed. If the women of America 
value health, if they covet physical strength, if 
they aspire after the endurance of their grand¬ 
mothers, let them abandon the ruinous habits 
which are dragging them down, and enervating 
their mental and physical forces. Let them 
shake off the shackles of fashion and convention- 




18G 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


ality, and conform to the God-implanted laws 
which govern their sensitive bodies. 

Care of the. Sick.— Every physician knows 
that in the majority of cases much more depends 
upon the care which the patient receives from 
his nurse, than from himself. A careless nurse 
has often turned the scale, which hung nearly 
evenly balanced between life and death, adverse 
to recovery. The following are some of the more 
essential matters which demand attention, though 
nothing can supply the native tact and grace 
which are necessary to make a good nurse:— 

1. Secure a constant supply of pure air from 
out-of-doors. It is not sufficient to open a door 
leading into another room. Cold air may be very 
impure. Be careful to exclude the air from the 
kitchen and wash-room as perfectly as possible. 

2. Admit the light and sunshine freely. Di¬ 
rect sunlight is sometimes unpleasant to the pa¬ 
tient ; then shade the windows with white 
curtains, which will admit the light. In a few 
diseases it may be necessary to keep the patient 
in a darkened room for a few days. 

3. Maintain equable temperature. More fire is 
needed in the morning and evening than at noon. 
Regulate the heat by a thermometer hung near 
the bed. The mercury should never be above 
70°. Old people especially need attention in this 
particular. A fall of a few degrees in tempera¬ 
ture is often fatal to them. Avoid draughts. 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


18? 


4. The linen of the patient and his bedding 
should be changed every day at least. Daily 
washing will not be demanded in all cases, but 
the clothing should hang for several hours near 
a heated stove to air and dry. 

5. Food for sick people should always be 
simply and neatly prepared. Light food is usu¬ 
ally the best. Condiments should be very spar¬ 
ingly added, if at all. Oatmeal gruel is one of 
the best articles of food for sick persons. Fruit 
may be freely allowed if of good quality and 
ripe. Beef tea and broth will not sustain life. 
A doof starved sooner on a diet of beef tea than 
he would have done with nothing at all. Give 
food regularly, as in health. Continual dosing 
with milk or any other food is harmful. 

G. The patient himself should be kept scrupu¬ 
lously clean. The whole body should be washed 
several times a week at least. The mouth and 
teeth should be daily cleansed. 

7. All discharges should be kept in covered 
vessels, and should be removed from the room at 
the earliest moment possible. 

8. The sick chamber should be made pleasant 
by tasteful arrangement of its contents, by flow¬ 
ers, simple pictures, etc. Frequent change in the 
aspect of the room is desirable. 

# 9. The patient should never be kept in a state 
of expectancy. When a promise is made him, 
fulfill it promptly. 

10. Whispering or low talking in the sick-room 




188 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


or adjoining rooms will arouse the patient’s fears 
unnecessarily. Avoid it. 

11. Hasty movements in the sick-room are al¬ 
ways annoying to a patient. A calm, deliberate 
air on the part of the nurse inspires confidence. 

12. Arrangements for the night should be made 
before the patient becomes sleepy, so that he may 
not be disturbed. Otherwise, the movements 
necessary in making preparations for the night 
may cause him to become so restless that sleep 
will be impossible. 

13. All avoidable noises should be prevented. 
Creaking doors, squeaking boots or shoes, a swing¬ 
ing blind or a flapping curtain, are intolerable to 
the sensitive ears of invalids. Coal should never 
be poured from the scuttle upon the fire. Bring 
it into the room in small parcels wrapped in 
damp paper. These can be laid upon the fire 
noiselessly. 

14. If the patient can sleep, let him sleep. 
Never think of waking a sick person out of a 
sound sleep. Refreshing sleep will do him more 
good than all the medicines and baths in the world. 

15. The covering of the patient in bed should 
be several light, porous blankets, rather than one 
or two heavy ones. 

16. Strangers and visitors should be prohibited 
from entering the sick-room of a feeble patient. 
Visiting will often determine a fatal issue of the 
disease. 

17. Water kept in a sick-room should be often 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


189 


changed. Never drink that which has been in 
the room more than a few minutes. 

18. Always wear a cheerful face. Do not look 
solemn and anxious, even though the case is grave. 

19. Never annoy the patient by questions or 
too much conversation. 

20. Always recollect that Nature must cure. 
All you can do is to make the conditions as fa¬ 
vorable as possible. 

Signs of Real Death. —It has sometimes hap¬ 
pened that people have been buried alive when 
they were seemingly dead. Such a sad mistake 
can be prevented by the following tests :— 

1. The loss of sensibility and warmth, and 
cessation of the pulse and the breathing, are the 
signs which at first indicate death; but these are 
not always reliable. 

2. Rigidity' of the muscles is another better 
evidence, but this is not wholly decisive; yet if 
the muscles remain soft after death, interment 
should be delayed. 

3. The most reliable sign of death, perhaps the 
only decisive one, is putrefaction. This usually 
begins first in the lower part of the abdomen. 

4. Another test of some value in doubtful cases 
is tying a cord tightly around a finger. If death 
has taken place, the color will remain unchanged. 
If the heart still beats, the end of the finger will 
become of a deeper color. 

5. The application of a hot iron or other caustic 
appliance will not produce a blister on a corpse. 




190 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Accidents and Emergencies, 


The injuries resulting from accidents usually 
demand instantaneous action. A little delay or 
confusion, or misdirected effort, in a case of severe 
burning, drowning, or hemorrhage, will often sac¬ 
rifice a human life. The following simple direc¬ 
tions should be carefully studied so that they can 
readily be made available at any moment:— 

Drowning and Suffocation. —The chief rem¬ 
edy to be used in all cases is artificial respira¬ 
tion. There are several methods which are very 
serviceable. The following, which is the most ap¬ 
proved method for restoring drowned persons, we 
copy from a publication issued by the Michigan 
State Board of Health, the Secretary of w T hich, Dr. 
H. B. Baker, has kindly furnished us with cuts 
for illustration:— 

Treatment of the Drowned.— “ Two things 

© 

to be done: 1. Restore breathing; 2. Restore ani¬ 
mal heat. 

“ Rule 1 .— Remove all obstructioiis to breath¬ 
ing. Instantly loosen or cut apart all neck and 
waist bands; turn the patient on his face, with 
the head down hill; stand astride the hips with 
your face toward his head, and, locking your fin¬ 
gers together under his belly, raise the body as 
high as you can without lifting the forehead off 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


191 


the ground (Fig. 1), and give the body a smart 
jerk to remove mucus from the throat and water 
from the windpipe; hold the body suspended long 
enough to slowly count one , two, three, four , five , 
repeating the jerk more gently two or three times. 



“ Rule 2.—Place the patient on the ground, 
face downward, and, maintaining all the while your 
position astride the body, grasp the points of the 
shoulders by the clothing, or, if the body is naked, 
thrust your fingers into the armpits, clasping your 
thumbs over the points of the shoulders, and raise 
the chest as high as you can (Fig. 2) Avithout lift¬ 
ing the head quite off the ground, and hold it long 
enough to slowly count one two, three. Replace 
him on the ground, with his forehead on his flexed 
arm, the neck straightened out, and the mouth and 
nose free. Place your elbows against your knees, 
and your hands upon the sides of his chest (Fig. 3) 

























192 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


over the loiver ribs , and press downward and in¬ 
ward with increasing force long enough to slowly 



count one, two. Then suddenly let go, grasp the 


shoulders as before and raise the chest (Fig. 2); 
then press upon the ribs, etc, (Fig. 3). These al- 





























HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


193 


ternate movements should be repeated ten to fifteen 
times a minute foY an hour at least, unless breath- 
ing is restored sooner. Use the same regularity as 
in natural breathing. 

“ Rule 3.—After breathing has commenced, 
restore the animal heat. Wrap him in warm 
blankets, apply bottles of hot water, hot bricks, 
or anything to restore heat. Warm the head 
nearly as fast as the body , lest convulsions come 
on. Rubbing the body with warm cloths or the 
hand, and slapping the fleshy parts may assist to 
restore warmth, and the breathing also. If the 
patient can surely swallow, give hot coffee, tea, 
milk, or a little hot sling. Give spirits sparingly, 
lest they produce depression. Place the patient 
in a warm bed, and give him plenty of fresh air; 
keep him quiet. 

“ Avoid Delay. A moment may turn the scale 
for life or death. Dry ground, shelter, warmth, 
stimulants, etc., at this moment are nothing— 
ARTIFICIAL BREATHING IS EVERYTHING —is the ONE 
remedy— all others are secondary. 

“ Do not stop to remove ivet clothing before efforts 
are made to restore breathing. Precious time is 
wasted, and the patient may be fatally chilled by 
exposure of the naked body, even in summer. 
Give all your attention and effort to restore breath¬ 
ing by forcing air into, and out of, the lungs. If 
the breathing has just ceased, a smart slap on the 
face, or a vigorous twist of the hair will sometimes 
start it again, and may be tried incidentally, as 

13 




194 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


may, also, pressing the finger on. the root of the 
tongue. 

“ Before natural breathing is fully restored, do^ 
not let the patient lie on his back unless some' 
person holds the tongue forward. The tongue by 
falling hack may close the windpipe, and cause 
fatal choking. 

“ If several persons are present, one may hold 
the head steady, keeping the neck nearly straight; 
others may remove wet clothing, replacing at once 
clothing which is dry and warm; they may also 
chafe the limbs, and thus promote the circulation. 

a p reven t friends from croivding around the 
patient and excluding fresh air ; also from trying 
to give stimulants before the patient can swallow. 
The first causes suffocation; the second, fatal 
choking. 

u Do not give up too soon. You are working for 
life. Any time within two hours you may be on 
the very threshold of success without there being 
any sign of it.” 

Marshall Hall’s Ready Method. —This fa¬ 
mous method consists, briefly, in laying the patient 
with his face downward, his arms folded beneath 
his forehead, and then slowly rolling him upon his 
side, restoring him again to his former position. 
By this means, the chest is alternately compressed 
and expanded, thus imitating the movements of res¬ 
piration. This method has been variously modified. 

Sylvester’s Method. —This method, which has 
been proposed more recently, is highly recom- 





HEALTH AND TEMPEKANCE. 


1 95 


mended by many physicians. Raise the arms from 
the sides until they meet above the head; then 
bring them slowly back to the sides again, pressing 
them against the sides of the chest. Repeat this 
sixteen or eighteen times a minute. It is a very 
efficient means when skillfully applied. 

Upon submersion in the water, the epiglottis, a 
little valve at the top of the windpipe, closes, shut¬ 
ting out the water from the lungs. After a time, 
the muscles relax, and the valve opens. Water 
then enters the lungs. After this occurs, there is 
no longer any possible chance for recovery ; but as 
there is no ready means for determining accurately 
the condition of the lungs, every effort should be 
made to resuscitate the patient by the means al¬ 
ready described. The length of time a person can 
live under water will depend very much upon the 
amount of pure air in his lungs at the time of sub¬ 
mergence. 

Poisonous Gases. —Carbonic acid (more prop¬ 
erly carbon di-oxide) is the most common cause of 
suffocation. Chlorine gas, illuminating gas, the 
vapor of burning sulphur, ether, and nitrous oxide, 
or laughing gas, with other poisonous gases, pro¬ 
duce death in the same way, though some of them 
are active irritants in addition. 

Carbonic acid is heavier than air, and, in conse¬ 
quence, it accumulates in old wells, caves, deep 
valleys, and other low* places. It is formed in 
mines in large quantities, at times, and is known 
to miners as “choke damp.” It is also formed in 




190 > 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


the vats of breweries by fermentation. In the 
burning of limestone it is also produced in enor¬ 
mous quantities. When the kilns are opened, it 
sometimes pours out so rapidly as to suffocate the 
workmen before they can escape. Miners are often 
destroyed by a sudden gust of u choke damp.” 

Old w r ells should never be entered without first 
testing the air at the bottom. Do this by lower¬ 
ing a burning candle. If it is extinguished, or 
burns feebly, carbonic acid is present, and descent 
would be extremely perilous. If it burns brightly, 
no fears need be entertained. If gas is found to be 
present, it can be dislodged by throwing into the 
well burning fagots or paper. Old cellars and 
cisterns are sometimes dangerous on the same ac¬ 
count ; they may be tested in the same way. 

Upon the inhalation of the first breath of car¬ 
bonic acid, the person usually falls, and thus re¬ 
mains exposed to the poisonous effects of the gas. 
Under such circumstances, speedy and well-directed 
efforts are necessary to prevent death. 

In a burning building, the purest air is near the 
floor, as the smoke containing the carbonic acid is 
hotter than the air when first formed, and rises. 
In escaping from a burning building, it is some¬ 
times advantageous to go upon all-fours so as to 
breathe the best air. 

Charcoal burning in a room in an open vessel 
will produce large quantities of carbonic-acid gas 
in a short time. In France, suicide is often com¬ 
mitted by this means. 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


197 


Illuminating Gas often escapes into sleeping- 
rooms through leakage of the gas pipes, or by rea¬ 
son of failure to completely shut off the supply to 
the burner upon extinguishing the flame. 

People unaccustomed to the use of gas are some¬ 
times so thoughtless as to blow out the flame as 
they would that of a lamp or candle, leaving the 
gas to find unobstructed entrance. Many lives 
have been lost in this way. 

Hanging is another means by which the sup¬ 
ply of air to the lungs is cut off, causing asphyxia. 
A red line around the neck is usually indicative of 
this manner of producing suffocation. 

The remedies in all cases of suffocation are es¬ 
sentially the same. Remove the patient from the 
cause, or, vice versa , as quickly as possible. Draw 
the tongue forward, clear the mouth, dash cold wa¬ 
ter upon the face and chest, rub the body vigor¬ 
ously, and apply artificial respiration. If chlorine 
has been accidentally breathed, inhale, as quickly as 
possible, ammonia gas. 

Choking. —When a particle of food, or any 
other body, becomes lodged in the throat, go upon 
all -fours, and cough. If it is not expelled, the pa¬ 
tient should be seized by the heels and suspended 
head downward, while his back is percussed by 
another person. If the body can be seen by draw¬ 
ing the tongue well forward, seize it with a pair of 
forceps, or a hook made by bending the end of a 
wire or a hair-pin which has been straightened. 




198 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Sometimes it may be elevated from its position by 
means of a spoon handle. If it is out of sight, and 
all efforts to expel it are unavailing, press it down 
with the finger or a smooth rod with a rounded end, 
throwing the head back as far as possible while do¬ 
ing so. A body which has lodged part way down 
the esophagus, may sometimes be pressed down into 
the stomach by pressing hard upon each side of the 
neck close to the windpipe. 

Lightning Stroke.— Dr. Fothergill remarks as 
follows on this subject:— 

“Persons struck by lightning are not always 
dead when they appear to be so. There are few 
recoveries from this state, because no means are 
tried to restore the sufferer. In the tropics there 
are many instances of persons, struck down by 
lightning, recovering after a heavy thunder shower; 
and it would appear that cold affusion to the body 
has a decided action in such cases. The injured 
cannot be harmed by the free use of cold water, 
and if only an occasional recovery took place, it 
would be well worth the pains bestowed. The per¬ 
sons so injured should have cold water poured or 
even dashed freely over them.” 

Artificial respiration should also be employed. 

Sun-Stroke. —Carry the patient at once to a 
cool, shady place, remove his clothing, and dash 
cold water upon his body, especially the head and 
chest. Rubbing the spine with ice is an excellent 
remedy. Continue the cold application until the 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 19$ 

unnatural heat is materially decreased. Artificial 
respiration should be practiced at the same time. 
No stimulants should be given to the patient. 

Hemorrhage. —If an artery is wounded, the 
blood will flow in jets, sometimes being thrown 
several feet, and will be of a bright red color. If 
the wounded vessel is a vein, the blood will be of 
a dark color, and will flow in a steady stream. 
Slight hemorrhage will be easily controlled by 
pressure over a little pad of folded linen applied 
directly to the wound 

When large vessels are injured, greater care is 
necessary. If the vessel is an artery, apply the 
pressure between the w T ound and the heart. If it 
is a vein, apply the pressure upon the opposite side. 

The application of cold, by means of cloths wet 
in iced water, snow, or pounded ice, is a verv ef¬ 
fective means of stopping hemorrhage. 

In case the hand, forearm, or foot is severely 
wounded, it should be elevated above the rest of 
the body and bound in towels in which pounded 
ice is folded. Hemorrhage from the end of a fin¬ 
ger or toe may be stoooed by the application of 
pressure to the sides. 

When a very large artery of the arm or leg is 
wounded, resulting in hemorrhage which cannot be 
quickly controlled by any of the means mentioned, 
proceed as follows :— 

Take a handkerchief or a strip of cloth of suffi¬ 
cient length to reach around the limb. Tie a 




200 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


large knot in the center. Apply the knot just over 
the course of the wounded vessel, above the wound. 
Now pass a stout ruler or rod beneath the bandage 
upon the opposite side from the knot. Twist it 
around so as to tighten the bandage and thus com¬ 
press the artery beneath the knot. Increase the 
compression until the hemorrhage is controlled. 
A tight bandage of this kind should not be retained 
too long, as it may destroy the life of the parts be¬ 
low. Its object is to control the hemorrhage only 
until the wounded vessel can be secured and tied 
by a surgeon or other competent person. 

Bleeding from wounds of the scalp is easily con¬ 
trolled by pressure upon the seat of injury. 

Nose-Bleed. —Remove all constrictions from 
the throat, so that the return of blood from the 
head will be unobstructed. Hold the head erect 
for the same reason. Inclining it forward encour¬ 
ages the hemorrhage. Twist the corner of a hand¬ 
kerchief or piece of old linen and press it tightly 
into the bleeding nostril. Hold it in place until 
the bleeding ceases, unless it passes backward into 
the throat, when other measures will be required. 
Blowing the nose, and bathing it in water, in¬ 
crease the hemorrhage rather than check it. 

Pressure upon the facial artery upon the side on 
which the hemorrhage occurs, will sometimes check 
it. Apply firm pressure upon the notch on the 
lower border of the lower jaw just in front of the 
angle. 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


201 


When the bleeding has once stopped, do not dis¬ 
turb the clot that has formed in the nose, as it may 
be induced again by so doing. In very severe cases 
the posterior opening from the nasal cavity into the 
mouth will require plugging; surgical assistance 
will be required for this. 

Hemorrhage from the nose is seldom fatal. When 
scattered upon the floor or clothing, a few ounces 
of blood look like a quart. A very few spoonfuls 
will color a large quantity of water very red. 

Bleeding from Lungs.—Blood which is ex¬ 
pectorated by coughing often comes from the throat 
or nasal cavity, trickling down into the air passages 
and being coughed out. This is nearly always of 
a dark color, and is commonly clotted. Blood 
which comes from the lungs is of a bright red col¬ 
or, and is frothy from the admixture of air. The 
amount of blood lost is much less than usually 
thought, and is seldom the cause of death. 

Keep the patient as quiet as possible, with his 
head elevated a little. Instruct him to restrain his 
cough as much as he can, and to avoid all violent 
efforts at coughing. Make cold applications to the 
chest, and hot to the spine, feet, and limbs. For 
applying cold to the chest, rubber ice-bags are very 
convenient, as they do not wet the clothing. When 
they are not at hand, employ compresses of snow or 
pounded ice large enough to cover the entire chest, 
or the affected side if the exact origin of the hem¬ 
orrhage is known. Salt taken into the mouth, and 



202 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


the inhalation of vapor of turpentine, are also very 
useful measures. Pour a little turpentine in a cup 
of boiling water, and place to the patient’s nose. 

Cuts. —Cuts should be dressed in such a wav 

%/ 

that the severed edges may unite properly. Firm 
clots of blood lying in the wound should be care¬ 
fully removed, with any other foreign body. If 
the bleeding has ceased, the edges may be brought 
together and secured by stitches or adhesive straps, 
according to the size and position of the wound. 
Small wounds sometimes require only that the 
edges be thus brought together to stop the bleed¬ 
ing. The strips of plaster used should be narrow, 
and there should be narrow spaces left between 
them, to allow room for the escape of the discharge, 
should any occur. 

Care should be taken not to close a wound when 
vessels of any size have been ruptured without 
either ligating the bleeding vessel or closing it by 
torsion. Much injury has often resulted from a 
neglect of this rule. 

If the end of a finger or toe has been accidental¬ 
ly cut off, it should be at once replaced, even though 
it was entirely severed. Being kept in place, it 
will be quite likely to adhere and prevent an ugly 
scar. If the severed piece is frozen or badly bruised, 
the attempt will be useless. 

Hot Water for Torpid Livers.— Two Polish 

physicians have been making experiments for the 
purpose of ascertaining the effects upon the liver of 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


203 


alkaline mineral waters. Their results indicate that 
alkaline waters increase the quantity of bile when 
taken freely. These experiments also included ob¬ 
servations upon the effects of hot water upon the 
liver, the conclusion being that hot water possesses 
the same properties as alkaline waters. We have 
proved in a large number of cases that the use of 
hot water is one of the most effective means of en¬ 
couraging a torpid liver. When the liver is torpid, 
there is usually a red sediment in the urine. From 
six to eight glasses of hot water should be taken 
daily until the sediment disappears. 

Bruises. —Apply as quickly as possible a hot 
fomentation. Renew the application every five 
minutes for an hour or two. Apply afterward the 
tepid compress. This will prevent soreness, and 
much of the swelling and discoloration which would 
otherwise result. This is the way to treat a black 
eye, a broken nose, or a foot which has been pierced 
by a rusty nail. 

How to Cure a Sprain. —A sprain is an in¬ 
jury to a joint, produced by straining or lacerat¬ 
ing one or more of the ligaments connected with a 
joint. The first thing to be done after the receipt 
of the injury is to apply hot fomentations to the in¬ 
jured joint; and the sooner the better. After ap¬ 
plying hot fomentations for one or two hours or 
longer, if the pain continues, apply cold compresses 
and keep the joint entirely at rest. When there is 
much swelling, alternating it with cold pouring, 
continued for an hour at a time, will often give 



204 


PRACTICAL MANUAL CF 


great relief. Rest is one of the most essential feat¬ 
ures of treatment, since the injured ligaments can¬ 
not be repaired while disturbed by the motion of 
the joint. Cases are numerous in which an injury 
which was at first a slight sprain, has resulted in 
the total loss of the use of the limb, from neglect to 
give the joint the required rest while Nature was 
effecting a repair. The various liniments which 
have a reputation for the cure of sprains are useful 
only as a means of inducing the patient to rub and 
manipulate the joint. Rubbing is a very useful 
means of treatment, especially if the limb is con¬ 
siderably swollen. Violent manipulation of the 
joint should be carefully avoided, as it would only 
serve to increase inflammation. 

Fractures and Dislocations. —These acci¬ 
dents usually require the attention of a skillful sur¬ 
geon, who should be called at once. 

Burns and Scalds. —If a person’s clothes 
catch on fire, wrap about him at once a blanket, 
cloak, rug, or similar article, bringing it tight about 
the neck to protect the head and face. Remove the 
burned clothing as quickly as possible, and apply 
wet linen cloths to the burned surfaces. Change 
every five minutes, applying another cloth instant¬ 
ly after one is removed. (For further treatment 
see page 82.) 

To burns produced by lye, caustic potash, or 
other alkalies, apply vinegar or some other weak 
acid as quickly as possible. To a burn produced by 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


205 


an acid, apply an alkali, as soda, ashes, or simple 
earth. 

Freezing. —In cases of freezing, the great dan¬ 
ger is in thawing out too quickly, the result of 
which is inflammation and death of the frosted parts ; 
or, in milder cases, chilblain. Keep the patient 
away from the fire. Place him in a cool room, and 
rub the frozen parts with snow or cold wet cloths 
until the circulation is re-established. If the patient 
is apparently dead, artificial respiration should be 
practiced as long as there is a particle of hope of 
recovery ; and the effort should not be abandoned 
for several hours. 

Those who are exposed to severe cold should re¬ 
member that one of the symptoms of freezing is an 
uncontrollable desire to sleep. Resist it. 

Bite of Mad Dog. —Remove the clothing from 
the part at once, and apply suction to the 
wound with the mouth. As quickly as possible, 
remove the injured flesh with a sharp knife or de¬ 
stroy it with an iron at white heat, afterward ap¬ 
plying the water-dressing or a poultice. 

Few persons that are bitten by rabid animals ever 
have the disease. Hydrophobia is more common 
among dogs in the winter than in the summer, con¬ 
trary to the common supposition. The skunk or 
polecat is liable to the same disease. Its bite is 
more dangerous than that of the dog. 

Rattlesnake Bite. —Destroy the poison virus 
in the same manner as described in the preceding 





206 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


article. As with the bites of mad dogs, many of 
those bitten are not poisoned. Artificial respiration 
and rubbing the spine with ice have been highly 
recommended. Whisky is a common antidote, but 
is probably not useful in the enormous doses often 
given. 

Insect Stings. —The pain caused by the sting 
of an insect is the result of an acid poison injected 
into the tissues. The first thing to be done is to 
press the tube of a small key firmly on the wound, 
moving the key from side to side to favor the ex¬ 
pulsion of the sting with its accompanying poison. 
The sting, if left in the wound by the insect, should 
be carefully extracted, as it will greatly increase 
the local irritation. The poison of the virus being 
acid, common sense points to the alkalies as the 
proper antidote. Among the most easily procured 
remedies may be mentioned soft soap, liquor of am¬ 
monia (spirits of hartshorn), smelling salts, washing 
soda, quicklime made into a paste with water, lime- 
water, the juice of an onion, bruised dock leaves, 
tomato juice, wood-ashes, and carbonate of soda. 
A solution of borax in proportion of one ounce to a 
pint of water is also a most excellent remedy. 

The same remedies should be applied to the bites 
of gnats, mosquitoes, spiders, fleas, and other in¬ 
sects. 

Dirt in the Eye.— Particles of dirt or other 
foreign bodies in the eye should be removed at once. 
If the object is upon the visible portion of the eye- 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


207 


ball, remove it with the corner of a handkerchief. 
If concealed beneath the lid, roll the lid over upon 
a pencil or turn it outward with the finger, and re¬ 
move the speck in the same way. Dirt beneath 
the upper eyelid can often be removed by drawing 
it outward and downward over the under lid. Then 
press it upon the under lid and open the eye. 
Blowing the nose while the eye is closed will assist 
in the removal of small particles of dirt. Particles 
of iron which have become imbedded in the tissue 
of the eye may be loosened and removed by a needle 
mounted in the end of a pencil ; but such an in¬ 
strument must be used with extreme care. 

Lime ill the Eye. — Lime is a powerfully 
caustic alkali, and in numerous instances a small 
quantity thrown into the eye has resulted in total 
destruction of sight. A strong solution of sugar 
or diluted vinegar should be applied as quickly as 
possible after the accident, in case a particle has 
been thrown into the eye. While the lotion is in 
preparation, the eye should be thoroughly washed. 

Foreign Bodies in the Ear. —Never use 
a sharp instrument about the ear in any way. 
Insects can generally be dislodged very speedily 
by dropping into the ear a little oil or warm water. 
Solid bodies, like peas, beans, or pieces of stone, 
can usually be removed by the diligent application 
of warm water and soap by means of a syringe. 
The head should be inclined to one side, so that 
the object may readily drop out. If this is un- 



208 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


successful after thorough trial, use a loop of fine 
wire or horsehair, a small scoop, or a pair of deli¬ 
cate forceps. Hardened ear-wax should be softened 
by warm water and soap, and then removed with 
great care by means of the scoop. 

Foreign Bodies in the Nose. —Blow through 

the nose with as much force as possible, 'at 
the same time closing the mouth and the unob¬ 
structed nostril. Sneezing will sometimes expel 
the cause of obstruction. A loop of wire or a blunt 
hook may be successfully used; but care must be 
taken to avoid crowding the object farther in. If 
it is not tightly imbedded, it may be driven out by 
making the water from a syringe pass up the unob¬ 
structed nostril and out at the one containing the 
foreign body. 

Another plan is to blow the patient’s nose for 
him by closing the empty nostril with the finger, 
and then blowing suddenly and strongly into the 
mouth. The glottis closes spasmodically, and the 
whole force of the breath goes to expel the button 
or bean, which commonly flies out at the first ef¬ 
fort. This plan has the great advantages of ex¬ 
citing no terror in children, and of being capable 
of being at once employed, before delay has given 
rise to swelling and impaction. 

Chimney on Fire. — Throw into the stove, 
or upon the coals in the fire-place, a handful of 
salt or sulphur. Close the stove-draught, or hold 
a board or blanket before the fire-place. 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


209 


What to do in Poisoning. —Give an emetic 
at once, which may consist simply of tepid wa¬ 
ter in large quantities, or the same with the ad¬ 
dition of mustard or common salt. After drinking 
several cupfuls, tickle the throat with the finger or 
a feather. Continue taking a cupful every two or 
three minutes until vomiting occurs. Individual 
poisons require special remedies. The following 
lists comprise the most common poisons and their 
antidotes :— 

Vegetable Poisons. — Opium, Morphia, Camphor, 
Aconite, Laudanum, Paregoric, Strychnia, Tobacco, lo¬ 
belia, Arnica, and other vegetable poisons require the 
emetic and the application 6f a stomach-pump if possi¬ 
ble. Milk and mucilaginous drinks should be given 
freely after thorough vomiting. Artificial respiration 
should be employed in poisoning by strychnia and opium. 
The cold douche is also excellent in poisoning by the lat¬ 
ter drug. Keep the patient awake, if possible, by mak¬ 
ing him walk about. 

Acids. —Sulphuric (oil of vitriol), Nitric (aqua fortis^ 
Hydrochloric (muriatic), and Oxalic Acids are the more 
common. Drink largely of water at once. Acids are 
neutralized by alkalies. Calcined magnesia is the best 
antidote. Chalk (powdered), whiting, lime, weak lye, 
and strong soap-suds are the best substitutes. Some¬ 
thing must be done quickly in case of poisoning by 
acids. 

Mineral Poisons. —For Corrosive Sublimate, White 
Precipitate, Red Precipitate, and Vermilion, take the 
whites of several eggs in a quart of tepid water. Soap¬ 
suds thickened a little with wheat flour is the best sub¬ 
stitute for eggs. No other emetic is necessary. 

Arsenic, Cobalt (fly powder), Ratsbane, Paris Green, 


14 



210 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


and other compounds containing Arsenic, should be ex¬ 
pelled by vomiting as soon as possible. Then adminis¬ 
ter quite large doses of calcined magnesia. 

Acetate of Lead, White Lead, Litharge, and Saltpe¬ 
ter require an emetic followed by oil or mucilage. 

For Lunar Caustic (nitrate of silver), administer half 
a table-spoonful of salt in a pint of water. 

The antidote for Matches or Phosphorus is calcined 
magnesia, followed by soothing fluids. 

Antidotes for Verdigris and Blue Vitriol (sulphate of 
copper), are eggs, milk, and soda. 

Alkalies.—The most common which are sources of 
poisoning are Ammonia, Potash, Soda, Pearlash, Lye 
(from wood-ashes), and Salts of Tartar. Drink copi¬ 
ously of weak vinegar or lemogi juice. Afterward take 
some mucilaginous drink, or oil. 

Alcoholic Poisoning. —A man found “ dead drunk ” 
should be treated like any other case of narcotic poison¬ 
ing, as from opium. 

Chronic Poisoning by Lead, Opium, Tobacco, or any 
other drug which has been received into the system for 
a long time, requires, first, that the cause be wholly re¬ 
moved at once; second, attention to the general health. 
In the case of Opium and Tobacco, the disuse of the 
drugs is attended with a good deal of unpleasant feeling 
on the part of the patient. He feels as though he will 
certainly die. His fears are groundless. He is in much 
less danger of dying than before. 

Poisonous Candies and Food. —The paints used in 
the manufacture of candies are poisonous, and often 
sicken those who eat the candies, sometimes fatally in 
the case of children. 

Fish and meat, either fresh or canned, are frequently 
sources of poisoning. Decayed fruit or other food, shell¬ 
fish, and mushrooms are often productive of injury in 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


211 


the same way. Such cases should be treated on the gen¬ 
eral principles relating to poisoning. 


Soda-Water. —The water nearly always contains 
lead. The sirups are most wretched imitations of nat¬ 
ural flavors, and are made from such things as old 
cheese, tar, and mineral acids. 

Dangerous Kerosene. — The kerosene oil sold or used 
in the majority of our cities is almost as dangerous a 
commodity as gunpowder or nitro-glycerine. Millions 
of dollars’ worth of property has been destroyed, and 
hundreds of lives have been sacrificed, by the use of 
cheap illuminating oil. Crude kerosene contains ben¬ 
zine, naphtha, and other highly volatile and explosive 
compounds. These dangerous agents should be wholly 
removed by the refiner in preparing the oil for use ; but 
the manufacturer finds it to his pecuniary advantage to 
allow them to remain in the oil in greater or lesser pro¬ 
portions. This kind of oil will burn at a much lower 
temperature than that which is pure, and it is to this 
fact that its dangerous properties are due, since it is 
thereby rendered explosive when used in the ordinary 
kerosene lamp. 

It is very important to be able to distinguish danger¬ 
ous oil from that which may be used without danger. 
The following is an excellent method for testing oil:— 

Place upon the stove a pan or tin pail containing wa¬ 
ter. Float in this vessel a deep saucer or small, deep 
cup containing a portion of the oil to be tested. Place 
in the oil a thermometer, and observe the gradual in¬ 
crease of temperature. When the temperature reaches 
70° or 80°, bring a burning match or taper near to the 
surface of the oil. If a flash is produced, the article is 
highly dangerous. Continue the observations as the 
temperature rises, and if a flash is observed at the tem¬ 
perature less than 140°, the oil is utterly unfit for use, 
and should not be employed for illuminating purposes. 





212 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


The lower the temperature at which the flash occurs, the 
greater the danger. 

The State Legislature of Michigan has passed an act 
prohibiting the use or sale of kerosene oil which will 
flash below 140°. 


Hydropathic Appliances, 

Water, applied in the various modes in which 
it may be, is one of the most potent of remedies. 
Wrongly applied, it may be productive of great 
harm. The following are a few general rules 
which should always govern its use:— 

1. Never bathe when exhausted or within three 
hours after eating, unless the bath be confined to 
a very small portion of the body. 

2. Never bathe when cooling off after profuse 
sweating, as reaction will then often be deficient. 

3. Always wet the head before taking any form 
of bath, to prevent determination of blood to the 
head. 

4. If the bath be a warm one, always conclude 
it with an application of water which is a few de¬ 
grees cooler than the bodily temperature. 

5. Be careful to thoroughly dry the patient after 
his bath, rubbing vigorously to prevent chilling. 

6. The most favorable time for taking a bath is 
between the hours of ten and twelve in the fore¬ 
noon. 

7. The temperature of the room should be at 
about 80° or 85°. 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


213 


8. Baths should usually he of a temperature 
which will be the most agreeable to the patient. 
Cold baths are seldom required. Too much hot 
bathing is debilitating. 

The following are brief descriptions of the more 
important baths applicable in the home treatment 
of disease:— 

Sponge-Bath. —This bath consists in rubbing the 
whole body with a sponge or towel wet in water of an 
agreeable temperature ; is most useful for a general ab¬ 
lution. 

Sitz-Bath. —A tub made especially for the purpose, 
or a common wash-tub, may be employed. Place in 
the vessel sufficient water to cover the hips and lower 
part of the abdomen. The patient or an attendant 
should rub and knead the abdomen during the bath. 
The water should be of a temperature ranging from 85° 
to 98°, according to the condition of the patient. Cover 
the patient during the bath. 

Wet-Sheet Pack, —Spread two or three comfortables 
upon a bed or mattress. Spread over the whole a 
woolen sheet. Wring out of water of the desired tem¬ 
perature a linen or cotton sheet. Spread it quickly 
upon the bed, and let the patient immediately lie down 
in the middle. Then quickly envelop him in the wet 
sheet, wrapping him snugly from head to foot. Then 
cover him with the comfortables, and let him remain 
quiet as long as required. Elevate the head a little, 
and use care to have the feet warm. Half-packs may 
be* taken in a similar manner, confining the application 
to the trunk of the body. 

Fomentations.— Wring out of water as hot as can 
well be borne, a folded flannel cloth, and apply it quickly 
to the part to be treated. Cover with a dry cloth, and 
change once in five minutes. 



214 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Pail-Douche. —This consists in pouring water over 
the shoulders of the patient with a pail. It is often em¬ 
ployed to tone up the surface after a hot bath. 

Chest-Wrapper. —The wrapper should be made of 
coarse cloth, and should be shaped so as to fit the chest. 
Apply it after wringing just sufficiently to prevent drip¬ 
ping. Cover with a light, dry flannel wrapper. Change 
three or four times a day. 

Halt-Bath. —For this bath is required a vessel of suffi¬ 
cient size to allow the patient to sit upright with his 
limbs extended. Enough water to cover the limbs, 
thighs, and lower part of the abdomen, is necessary. 
During the bath, the attendant should rub vigorously 
the limbs, back, chest, and abdomen of the patient. 

Compresses. —Apply wet cloths in the same manner 
as in fomentations, wetting them in either cold, cool, or 
tepid water, according to the effect desired. 

Rubbing’-Wet-Sheet. —This bath consists in envelop¬ 
ing the patient in a wet sheet, and rubbing him briskly 
with the hand outside the sheet. 

Hot Applications. —Besides fomentations, heat may 
be applied in several other ways. Bottles filled with 
hot water, hot bricks or stones wrapped in papers or 
cloths, hot cloths, bags filled with hot sand, salt, or 
corn meal, and rubber bags filled with hot water, are 
convenient methods of applying dry heat. 

Moisture and heat may be applied in a variety of 
ways also. Instead of wringing cloths out of hot water, 
put them into a steamer for a few minutes. This saves 
the trouble of wringing them. When there is no water 
hot, and a fomentation is wanted quickly, wring a cloth 
out of cold water, spread it between the folds of a news¬ 
paper, and lay the paper upon the top of the stove, or 
press it against the side. In a minute it will be hot. 
Wrap stones or bricks in a moist cloth. Poultices of 
various sorts answer the same purpose. 



HEALTFT AND TEMPERANCE. 215 

All hot applications should be renewed every few 
minutes until the desired effect is obtained. 

Yapor-Bath. Place the patient in a chair which has 
a wooden bottom, beneath which place a pail half filled 
with water. Surround the patient completely, chair and 
all, with a woolen blanket, leaving only his head visible; 
even this may be covered a little while at a time in cases 
of neuralgia, if desired. Add other blankets sufficient 
for warmth. Now raise the blankets a little, behind, 
and place in the pail a stone or brick which has been 
heated sufficiently hot to hiss when it touches the water. 
Do not drop it into the water at once, but let it in grad¬ 
ually. As this becomes cool, add another in the same 
way. The bath should not usually be continued more 
than twenty minutes. Wash off quickly with tepid 
water upon coming out of the bath. The head should 
be wet from the first. 

Hot-Air Bath. —Prepare the patient in the same 
manner as directed for the vapor-bath. Instead of the 
pail of water, place beneath the chair a cup containing 
a small quantity of alcohol. Wet the head well, and 
then light the alcohol. Wash with tepid water after the 
bath, and be careful to avoid taking cold. 

Enemas. —An enema is a small portion of water 
thrown into the rectum by means of a syringe. The 
water may be either cool, tepid, or warm, as occasion 
may require. 

Inunction. —Pure olive oil, or fresh butter, may be 
used, but vaseline, a fine unguent which can be pro¬ 
cured of the druggist, is the best. After giving the pa¬ 
tient a short bath of some kind, to cleanse the skin, dry 
him carefully, and then apply with the hand a very 
small quantity of the oil or unguent. Rub in very thor¬ 
oughly, with much kneading and friction. Conclude by 
carefully wiping the skin with a soft flannel to remove 
all superfluous oil. 





216 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Tests for Adulterations, 


The following tests for various adulterations of 
food or articles used in the preparation of food, 
are condensed from the Home Hand-Book of Hy¬ 
giene and Rational Medicine. A neat case con¬ 
taining all the materials required for the use of 
the different tests, will be furnished for $3.00. 
See advertisement of The Sanitary Detective. 

Detection of Alum in Bread. —The simplest method is 
to dip a slice of the suspected bread in a solution of log¬ 
wood in water (either the extract or fresh chips may be 
employed). If alum is present, the bread will become a 
claret color. A more precise method is the following: 
Macerate in three or four tablespoonfuls of water a half 
slice of bread ; strain off the water, and add to it twenty 
drops of a strong solution of logwood. Then add a 
large teaspoonful of a strong solution of carbonate of 
ammonium. If alum is present, the mixture will be 
changed from pink to a lavender-blue. This test will 
discover a grain of alum in a pound of bread. 

To Detect Blue Yitriol in Bread. — Dissolve some of 
the bread in warm water. Add a strong solution of 
prussiate of potash. If copper is present, a chocolate 
color will appear. 

Adulterations of Butter.— The presence of annatto is 
shown by the unnaturally deep color of the butter. 
Other adulterants are easily detected by melting the 
butter with a gentle heat, which causes them to separate. 

Test for Glucose. —The presence of glucose in sugar 
can easily be-detected by the following method : Dissolve 
in a test-tube half a teaspoonful of the suspected sugar, 
in two teaspoonfuls of warm water. Add six or eight 
drops of a strong solution of blue vitriol. This will 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


217 


give to the solution a faint blue tinge. Now add a so¬ 
lution of caustic potash. This will deepen the blue 
color greatly, and produce a curdy appearance. Con¬ 
tinue to add the potash until the solution becomes clear, 
shaking the test-tube frequently so as to mix the con¬ 
tents well, and then heat to boiling in the flame of a 
spirit-lamp. If grape-sugar is present, as the liquid 
approaches the 'boiling point a yellowish color will ap¬ 
pear, which will soon deepen to orange, then orange red, 
and deep red. The changes in color are due to the pre¬ 
cipitation of red oxide of copper, which is the chemical 
test for grape-sugar. 

Inorganic adulterants of sugar can be readily de¬ 
tected by dissolving the sugar, when they will appear as 
a sediment. 

Adulteration of Sirups. —This fraud is not always 
easy to detect, but it may generally be discovered 
through the action of well-known chemical re-agents 
upon the sulphuric acid and iron which “ corn sirup ” 
is almost certain to contain. These substances may be 
detetted by the following means :— 

It is well known that iron with tannic acid forms a 
black compound. It is by this means that ink is made 
from oak-bark or logwood and salts of iron. Hence by 
adding a little of the sirup to a solution of tannin, it will 
become black. Common tea contains tannin in sufficient 
quantity to make a good test. Into half a cup of mod¬ 
erately strong, clear tea put a teaspoonful of the sirup. 
If the tea becomes black, iron is present in the sirup. 
It is true that the iron itself in very small quantities 
may not be productive of great injuiy, though in the 
quantities in which we have found it we think it might 
do harm ; but a knowledge of its presence is of value as 
indicating the probable presence of sulphuric acid and 
of glucose. Sirup or sugar which will blacken tea may 
well be suspected and avoided. 

Procure at a drug store a dram of nitrate or chloride 
of barium. Dissolve in a few spoonfuls of water. Dis¬ 
solve some of the sirup in warm water in a test-tube or 




218 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


clear, clean vial. Add some of the barium solution, and 
shake. Set aside for half an hour. If a white powder 
appears at the bottom of the vial as a sediment, the 
sirup undoubtedly contains sulphuric acid, and should 
be rejected. 

The adulteration of sirup is so common that it is 
entirely unsafe to purchase or use the article, no mat¬ 
ter how alluring its name or fine its appearance, with¬ 
out ascertaining its purity by careful testing. 

Adulterated and Artificial Honey. —A large share of 
the strained honey in market is adulterated with glucose, 
as well as are sirups. In some cases, so-called honey 
contains not a particle of the genuine article, being sim¬ 
ply a flavored sirup of glucose. We have examined 
specimens in which considerable quantities of sulphuric 
acid were present. 

It is stated that another very ingenious form of adul¬ 
teration of honey has been quite extensively practiced. 
What is termed the foundation of the comb is made of 
paraffine, a wax-like substance made from petroleum. 
This saves the bees much labor, as they have but to 
build up the cells on the foundation furnished them. 
Then, to still further economize their time and labor, 
they are abundantly supplied with glucose in solution, 
which they have but to transfer to the comb, thus 
avoiding the trouble of gathering sweets from distant 
fields. Of course no transformation takes place in the 
artificial sugar, it being simply transferred from the 
feeding vessel to the comb. Thus we have honey which 
is wholly artificial with the exception of a portion of the 
wax. This certainly caps the climax of adulterations. 

The tests for artificial and adulterated honey are the 
same as those for glucose in sirups. 

Adulteration of Baking-Powders. —Baking-powders 
are preferable to soda, saleratus, cream of tartar, and 
sour milk, in the way these substances are commonly 
used, and yet they may be dispensed with, and with 
benefit to the health. The alum powders are the worst 
of all compounds used for raising bread. They should 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


219 


never be employed. The presence of alum in baking- 
powders may be detected by testing for alum the bread 
made from it, as already directed. 

Canned Fruits and Vegetables, —Canned fruits and 
vegetables are often adulterated with coloring and flavor¬ 
ing substances of an unwholesome character. The most 
common are red coloring matters in tomatoes (not very 
common in this country), fuchsine and aniline in fruits, 
and salts of copper in peas and other green vegetables. 
It occasionally happens, also, that the solder with which 
the cans are closed causes contamination of fruits 
with lead. Sometimes the cans themselves are a still 
greater source of danger, being made of lead-tin. 

When the coloring matter is of an earthy character, 
some portions may be found in the bottom of the can as 
sediment. When fuchsine or aniline is present, it may 
be detected by placing in the juice of the fruit, as found 
in the can, a few threads of white woolen yarn or 
worsted. After half an hour remove the threads, and 
if the coloring matters mentioned are present they will 
be colored red, as will not be the case if only the fruit 
juices are present. 

Adulteration with copper may be strongly suspected 
if such vegetables as peas have a bright green appear¬ 
ance. The presence of copper will be proven if a bright 
strip of iron or a sewing-needle placed in the can over 
night, after adding a few drops of sulphuric acid, is 
found to be coated with a coppery colored film in the 
morning. A very small proportion of copper may be 
detected in this way. 

Preserves, Marmalade, etc. —In many cases, preserves 
are colored with fuchsine and aniline, as are some canned 
fruits. Marmalade often consists chiefly of apples 
flavored with orange essence. Copper is also sometime! 
found, as in canned fruits. It is usually accidental, 
however, its presence being due to the fact that preserves 
are generally made in copper kettles, some of the copper 
being dissolved by the juices of the fruits, the solution 
of the copper being facilitated by the heat and the stir- 



220 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


ring. On this account, preserves should never be made 
in copper kettles. 

How to Detect Bad Water. —Dissolve in an ounce 
of water twelve grains of caustic potash and three 
grains of permanganate-of-potash crystals. Keep in 
a glass-stoppered bottle. Add a drop or two of 
this solution to a gill of the water to be exam¬ 
ined, placed in a perfectly clean and clear bottle. 
The permanganate solution has a beautiful pink or 
purple color. If this is changed to brown, or disappears 
after standing a few hours, the water is impure and 
unfit for use. The permanganate alone is found to be 
unreliable, as it sometimes fails to detect the presence 
of some kinds of organic poisons. 

Yinegar and Pickles. —Vinegar is very often adulter¬ 
ated with mineral acids, sulphuric acid being the most 
commonly used. Many specimens of vinegar offered for 
sale as cider vinegar have not a drop of aj^ple juice in 
them. Vinegar is itself an unwholesome article ; but it 
becomes tenfold more injurious when adulterated with 
strong acids, injuring not only the stomach but the 
teeth. The presence of sulphuric acid, or oil of vitriol, 
may be detected by the test given for this acid in sirups. 
It is said that it may also be detected in the following 
manner : Add to the vinegar r, small quantity of sugar. 
Then put a drop or two on a clean plate and evaporate 
at a low heat. If the acid is present, the spot will 
become black, through its action on the sugar. 

Tea and Coffee. —These substances, used as beverages 
in infusion, are largely adulterated, though in the case 
of coffee the adulterants employed are not worse than 
the original substance. Tea is, however, rendered even 
more unwholesome than it naturally is, by the addition 
to it of Prussian blue, and various other harmful sub¬ 
stances. It is a fact worth remarking, that Chinamen 
in this country will not drink the tea which is imported 
from their country for American consumers. 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


221 


Prussian blue, indigo, black-lead, gypsum, turmeric, 
and various other substances used as facing, may be 
easily detected by either one of the following methods :— 

Place two or three ounces of the tea in a piece of thin 
muslin, and shake well over a piece of white paper. 
Examine the dust thus collected with a magnifying 
glass, capable of enlarging ten or fifteen diameters. An 
ordinary botanizing glass answers the purpose admirably. 
Prussian blue appears as brilliantly blue, transparent, 
angular particles. Indigo particles arc greenish blue 
and opaque. 

Another method is to wash a few ounces of tea with 
cold water, placing the washings in a glass to settle. 
Examine the sediment in the manner directed. 

Nearly all the substances used in the adulteration of 
coffee may be detected by means of the microscope. The 
following simple means are also usually sufficient to de¬ 
termine the character of any specimen of coffee :— 

1. Notice if the ground coffee cakes in the paper or 
package containing it, or when pressed between the fin¬ 
gers. If it does, it is spurious. 

2. Place a few pinches upon water in a goblet. If 
part floats while another portion sinks, it is adulterated. 
Pure coffee absorbs water slowly, and so floats for some 
time; while the substances used to adulterate it absorb 
water quickly, and sink. The amount of adulteration 
can be readily estimated by observing what proportion 
sinks readily. 

Adulteration of Tin.—On account of the increased 
cheapness and convenience of manufacture, a large share 
of the tin plate made at the present time contains in it 
a large proportion of lead. This kind of tin may be 
detected by a simple test which any one can apply. 
Place upon the metal a drop of nitric acid, spreading it 
to the size of a dime. Dry over a gentle heat, apply a 
drop of water, and then add a small crystal of iodide of 
potash. If lead is present, a yellow color will make its 
appearance vary quickly after the addition of the crystal 
of iodide of potash. 



222 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Useful Hints and Recipes, 


Soap to Remove Grease Spots. —Take equal parts of 
soft soap and fuller’s-earth. After beating well together, 
form into cakes. Moisten the spot, and rub the soap 
upon it. Allow it to dry, then rub it well with warm 
water, rinse, and dry. 

To Remove Grease from Silk. —Grease may be re¬ 
moved from silk and other delicate fabrics, thus: Upon 
a smooth surface spread a woolen cloth. Lay upon this 
the silk with the right side down. Over the grease spot 
lay a piece of coarse brown paper. Place upon this a 
flat-iron sufficiently hot to just scorch the paper. A 
very few seconds will suffice. Remove the flat-iron and 
paper and rub the spot briskly with a piece of paper. 

If this is not quite successful, apply a little powdered 
chalk or magnesia to the spot, under the brown paper, 
before applying the flat-iron. 

To Restore Color. —When the color has been de¬ 
stroyed by acids, apply a little ammonia (hartshorn). 
The restoration will be the more perfect, the more re¬ 
cent the application of the acid. 

To Remove Stains from the Hands, —For fruit stains, 
apply a solution of oxalic acid, and wash quickly. An¬ 
other way: Light a sulphur match and clasp the hand 
about it while the sulphur is burning. 

To Remove Paint from Cloth _Apply spirits of 

turpentine with a sponge. After an hour or two, rub 
the spot as in washing, and the paint will crumble off. 

Calcimining Fluid. —The following is well recom¬ 
mended for walls: White glue, 1 lb.; white zinc, 10 
lbs.; Paris white ; 5 lbs. Soak the glue over night io 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 223 


3 qts. of water. Add an equal quantity of water, and 
heat on a water bath until the glue is dissolved. Put 
the two powders into another vessel. Pour on hot water 
while stirring, until of the consistency of thick milk. 
Mix the two liquids thoroughly, and apply to the walls 
with a whitewash brush.- 

To Remove Mildew. —Wet the linen, apply soap to 
the spot, and then apply fuller’s-earth or salt and lemon 
juice to both sides. Air for a few hours. Or, soap the 
spot, and then apply finely powdered chalk, rubbing it 
in very thoroughly. 

Chloride of lime will remove mildew. Dissolve one 
ounce in two quarts of' water. Steep the linen in the 
solution all day. 

To Remove Paint from Wood. —Apply to it a strong 
solution of oxalic acid, when it will easily crumble off. 
It may be removed from glass or metal in the same way. 

Cements for Glass and China. —1. Mix thoroughly 
an ounce of pure white lead in oil with ten grains of 
finely powdered acetate of lead. Apply at once, and 
allow the mended article to dry two weeks before it is 
used. 

2. Rub old cheese to a fine thick paste with a little 
water. Add one-fourth pulverized lime. One of the 
best cements for glass, porcelain, stone, and wood. 

3. Burn oyster shells, pulverize fine, and mix to a 
thick paste with white of egg. Apply at once to the 
edges of the glass. Secure them tightly together until 
dry. Freshly burned lime will do, but is not so good. 
The cement must be made when used. 

4. Soak Russian isinglass in water over night, to 
soften. Then heat until it is dissolved. 

Liquid Glue. —Fill a bottle two-thirds full of common 
glue. Fill the bottle with whisky. It will dissolve in a 
few days, when it will be ready for use. Must be kept 
tightly corked. 



224 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Cements for Iron. —Take equal parts of sulphur and 
white lead, with about a sixth of borax, mixing them so 
as to form a homogeneous mass. When about to apply 
it, wet it with sulphuric acid and place a thin layer of it 
between the two pieces of iron, which should then be 
pressed together. In a week it will be perfectly solid, 
and no traces of the cement will be apparent. This 
cement is said to be so strong that it will resist the blows 
of a sledge hammer. 

2. Mix to a paste with vinegar 5 parts clay, 1 part 
salt, and 15 parts of iron filings. It will stand heat. 

Cement for Stone-ware —To a cold solution of alum 
add plaster of Paris sufficient to make a rather thick 
paste. Use at once. It sets rather slowly, but is an 
excellent cement for mending broken crockery, eventually 
becoming as hard as stone. 

How to Remove Rust from Clothing _Oxalic acid 

will take rust or any other stain out of white goods. 
Dissolve a small quantity in boiling water and dip the 
spots in. The acid can be got at any drug store. An¬ 
other way is to saturate the spots with lemon juice and 
spread the cloth in the sun; if it do n’t take out all the 
rust the first time, repeat the application. 

To Clean Looking-Glasses.— Wash with a sponge 
wet in lukewarm soap-suds. Wipe dry, and rub with 
buckskin or a newspaper and finely powdered chalk. 
Polish windows in the same way. 

To Cleanse the Hair —Rub thoroughly into the hair 
the white of an egg. Wash with soft water until the 
egg is entirely removed. This leaves the hair soft and 
pliable. Never use alkalies or coarse soap on the hair. 

Fire-Proof Paint for Roofs. Slack stone-lime in a 
covered vessel. Take 6 qts. of the slacked lime, after it 
has been passed through a sieve, add 1 qt. of salt, and 
1 gal. of water. Boil and skim. Add I lb. powdered 
alum, I lb. pulverized copperas. Then slowly add 6 ozs. 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


225 


of powdered potash. Finish by the addition of 2 lbs. of 
fine sand. Apply to the roof with a brush. It may be 
colored as desired; is very durable, and stops leaks in 
the roof. 

Lotion for Fetid Perspiration. —Permanganate of 
potash, 1 dr., dissolved in half a pint of water. Wash 
the part twice a day. A wash of weak vinegar is quite 
as efficient in some cases. 

Cement for Wood, —Dissolve a pound of glue in three 
pints of water. Add 2 ozs. of powdered chalk and I oz. 
of borax. 

To Preserve Steel from Rust— Cover the surface 
with finely powdered unslacked lime. The surface may 
first be smeared with melted tallow before the lime is 
sprinkled on, to cause it to adhere. 

To Clean Leather. —Leather which is uncolored may 
be easily cleaned by wiping it with a sponge moistened 
in a solution of oxalic acid. 

To Make Cloth Uninflammable.— 1. To a quart of 
boiling water add 1 lb chloride of calcium, and 1 lb. 
acetate of lime. Moisten the fabric in the solution, and 
dry. 

2. Moisten the goods in a solution of phosphate of 
ammonia. Dry with a warm flat-iron. 

Ink Stains. —Apply a solution of oxalic acid to the 
spot, and wash quickly. If a reddish stain is left, apply 
a solution of chloride of lime. 

Removing Fruit Stains. —Pour boiling water upon 
the stained spot, and it will usually disappear. This 
should be done before the spot has been wet with any¬ 
thing else. 

•Coal-Tar for Fence-Posts. —Coal-tar is an excellent 
preservative for fence-posts, if properly used. It should 
not be used alone, since it contains acids which are de¬ 
structive to the wood ; but when combined with quick- 

5 





226 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


lime it becomes a most effective preservative. Mix half 
a bushel of quicklime with a few gallons of water, and 
thoroughly mingle it with a barrel of coal-tar. Apply 
freely to the portion of the post which is to be in con¬ 
tact with the earth. 

Carron-Oil. —Mix equal parts of linseed-oil and lime- 
water. Shake well. Good for burns. 

To Determine the Capacity of a Round Cistern.— 

Square the average diameter. Multiply three-fourths of 
this amount by the height. This will give the number of 
cubic feet. Divide by four, and the result will be the 
number of barrels which the cistern will hold. The fol¬ 
lowing table will be found useful for reference :— 

Contents of a round cistern for every foot in depth 

of 

4 feet in diameter, ... 93 gal'ons. 


6 “ “ 

U 

• • 

. 212 

8 “ “ 

u 

• • 

375 

10 “ “ 

a 

• • 

. 588 

12 “ “ 

<< 

• • 

848 

16 “ “ 

u 

• • 

. 1500 


To Ascertain the Weight of Hay. —It is often neces¬ 
sary for the farmer to estimate a quantity of hay with¬ 
out the aid of scales. Here is a convenient method: 
Find the cubic contents of the stack in feet. Divide 
by 27, to find the number of cubic yards. A cubic 
yard of old hay in the stack weighs about 200 lbs. 
New hay weighs about two-thirds as much. The weight 
is readily ascertained by multiplying the number of 
cubic yards by the weight of a single yard. 

Remedy for Mosquitoes. —Pour*, kerosene into the 
stagnant pools where mosquitoes are generated. This 
will prevent their hatching, and will be found to be the 
most efficient means of getting rid of them. • 

Adhesive Cloth. —Dissolve five ounces of gum arabic 
in a half pint of hot water. Add glycerine in sufficient 
.quantity to make the mixture about the thickness of 








HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


227 


sirup. Stretch on a frame, fine muslin or linen cloth. 
Apply a coat of thin mucilage. When this is nearly 
dry, apply the mixture as rapidly as possible. Several 
coats will usually be required. 

To Take off Paint. —Slack three pounds of good lime 
in water. Mix with one pound of pearlash to the thick¬ 
ness of paint. Lay it on the paint to be removed with 
an old brush and allow it to remain twelve or fifteen 
hours, after which the paint can be scraped off very 
easily. 

Plant Wash. —An excellent wash for shrubs and 
large plants is made by dissolving two ounces of pulver¬ 
ized borax in one quart of hot water. Apply with a 
brush to the stems. It will destroy the green fungi 
which sometimes infest plants. 

Starch Polish.— 1. Melt together at a gentle heat 1 
oz. white wax and 2 ozs. spermaceti. Add a piece the 
size of a pea to starch sufficient for a dozen pieces. 

2. Dissolve 2 ozs. of gum arabic in a pint of hot wa¬ 
ter ; bottle and cork. Add a table-spoonful to each pint 
of starch. 

Paste. —Mix 8 parts of flour and 1 part of powdered 
alum with a little water. Beat out the lumps, and pour 
on boiling water until of the proper consistency, stirring 
briskly all the time. This is more adhesive than ordi¬ 
nary paste, and will last much longer. 

To Color Black. —For 10 lbs. of goods, dissolve and 
boil f lb. blue vitriol in sufficient water to cover the 
goods. Dip them three quarters of an hour, airing often. 
Then remove to another dye made by boiling 6 lbs. of 
logwood in a sufficient quantity of water for half an hour. 
Dip three quarters of an hour, air, and then dip three 
quarters of an hour more. Wash in strong suds. 

To Color Scarlet. —For two lbs. of goods, mix together 
and dissolve in sufficient water 1 oz. cream of tartar; 1 




228 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


oz. cochineal, well pulverized; 5 ozs. muriate of tin. 
Boil the dye and place the goods in it. Work them 
briskly for a quarter of an hour, after which boil an hour 
and a half, stirring slowly while boiling. Wash in clear 
soft water, and dry in the shade. 

To Color Blue. —For five lbs. of goods, dissolve f lb. 
alum, $ lb. cream tartar. Boil "the goods in the solution 
for half an hour. Throw them into warm water. 

To Color Green. —1. First, color yellow by soaking 
the goods in a solution made by steeping together 1 lb. 
fustic and I lb. alum for 1 lb. of the goods. Bemove 
the chips and add indigo, a table-spoonful at a time, until 
the desired color is obtained. 

2. Make a yellow dye with yellow-oak and hickory 
bark in equal quantities. Add indigo until the desired 
shade is obtained. 

Tooth Powder.—To make a most excellent and per¬ 
fectly harmless tooth powder, mix eight parts of precipi¬ 
tated chalk with one part of calcined magnesia. Flavor 
with a few drops of wintergreen or cinnamon oil if de¬ 
sired. Apply this to the teeth twice a day with a soft 
brush and pure soft water, or water and fine soap, and 
they will always glisten like ivory. 

Washing Fluid.—Boil together 1 lb. of sal-soda, \ lb. 
of stone-lime, and 5 qts. of water, stirring while boiling. 
Let it settle, pour off the clear fluid, and preserve for 
use in a stone jug. 

Soak the clothes an hour or two in warm suds. Wring 
out, and soap the most dirty places. Add p tea-cupful 
of the fluid to a boiler half full of boiling water, and then 
add the clothes. It will save half the labor of washing, 
and will not injure the texture of the goods. 

To Get Rid of Rats —Scatter potash freely in their 
holes and runways. It will make their feet and mouths 
sore, and they will leave in disgust. Several varieties of 
traps are quite successful in catching them. Poisoning 



229 


HEALTH ANlf TEMPERANCE. 

is not a very good plan, as the dead bodies of those which 
happen to eat the poison are usu-ally left in some unob¬ 
served or inaccessible place, where they undergo decay. 

Liquid Bluing. —Pulverized Prussian-blue, 1 oz.; 
oxalic acid, pulverized, I oz.; dissolve in 1 qt. of soft 
water. Use one or two table-spoonfuls to a tub, accord¬ 
ing to its size. Will not speck. 

To Kill Ants. —Pour into their nests hot water, lime- 
water, or a strong solution of alum. A little turpentine 
applied about the sugar barrel will drive every ant away 
from it. 

Wash for the Teeth.— 1 . Dissolve 1 dr. of carbolic 
acid with 2 ozs. of alcohol. Add this to half a pint of 
water. Use freely with a tooth-brush. Is excellent as 
an application to cleanse artificial teeth. 

2. Dissolve 1 dr. of permanganate of potash or soda 
in I pt. of water. Place in a bottle and cork tightly. 

Black Ink. —2 ozs. extract of logwood ; 2 drs. bichro-' 
mate of potash ; 1 dr. prussiatc of potash. Dissolve the 
logwood in 2 qts. of soft water, soaking it over night 
and then boiling. Then add the bichromate and prus- 
siate of potash after pulverizing. When the solution is 
complete, filter, and it will be ready for use. This is a 
very excellent ink. 

Red Ink. —Mix 1 dr. of aqua ammonia, a bit of gum 
arabic as large as a hazel nut, equal parts of No. 40 and 
No 6 carmine, as much as will dissolve, and 7 drs. of 
soft water. It will be ready for use in a day or two. 

Indelible Ink. —Dissolve I sc. of nitrate of silver in 
a teaspoonful of aqua ammonia. In 21 teaspoonfuls of 
soft water dissolve 1 sc. of gum arabic. When the gum 
arabic is dissolved, add an equal weight of carbonate of 
soda. Mix the two solutions and boil in a bottle placed 
in a basin of boiling water. When it becomes black, it 
is ready for use. 





230 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


Soft Soap. —Cut fine 4 lbs. white soap in bars, and 
dissolve in 4 gals, of soft water by heating. Add 1 lb. 
of sal-soda, dissolve and mix 

Bug Poison. —Mix 2 ozs. alcohol, \ oz. camphor, I oz. 
turpentine, and 1 dr. corrosive sublimate. Apply to in¬ 
fested places with a feather. 

To Eich on Metal. —Mix two parts of muriatic acid 
with one of nitric acid. Cover the surface of the metal 
with melted wax. When the wax is cold, write or draw 
upon it the desired name or design, with a sharp-pointed 
instrument. JBe careful to remove the wax quite down 
to the surface of the metal. Apply the acid with a 
brush or feather, carefully filling the outlines of the de¬ 
sign. In a few minutes wash the acids away with water, 
and wipe the surface with oil after removing the wax. 

Borax Wash. —Dissolve 1 oz. of borax in 5 qts. of 
water. This is a good cleansing wash for the hands, 
and is also an excellent washing fiuid. Many use it for 
'the hair. It is rather severe for the latter purpose. 

Mending Tin-Ware. —Every house-keeper can save 
many dollars by mending her own pans, dippers, and 
basins. If a hole in a basin is to be stopped, scrape the 
inside of the basin just around the hole until it is bright. 
Dissolve scraps of zinc in muriatic acid until the action 
of the acid ceases, or no longer dissolves the zinc. 
Dip the end of a little wooden rod in the fluid, and rub 
it on the scraped surface. Now place a small bit of 
solder ever the hole, and heat the under surface over a 
candle flame until the solder melts. In a minute it 
cools, and the hole is stopped. A small soldering iron 
will soon pay for itself. 

To Dry Boots. —Fill them with oats at night after re¬ 
moving them from the feet. Set them in a warm room. 
In the morning, shake out the oats and the boots will be 
found to be dry, and will not be shrunken and stiff as 
they would otherwise have been. 



HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


23l 


Blue Ink. —Dissolve sufficient indigo in soft water to 
give the desired color ; is very good for ordinary use 
but will fade. 

Soldering Fluid. —Dissolve in 1 oz. of muriatic acid 
as much zinc as possible. Add | dr. of sal-ammoniac. 

Solder for Tin. —Melt together 5 ozs. of lead and 31 
ozs. of tin. 

Solder for Lead. —Melt together 1 oz. tin and 2 ozs. 
lead. 

Freezing Mixture. —The following are a few of the 
best known means for producing artificial cold :— 

1. Mix 4 ozs. of saltpeter and 4 ozs. of sal-ammoniac, 
each finely pulverized, with half a pint of water. 

2. Mix equal parts of powdered nitrate of ammonium, 
carbonate of sodium, and water. 

3. Mix quickly together two parts of finely powdered 
ice or snow with one part of salt. This mixture will 
produce a temperature of 4° below zero. 

The article to be frozen should be surrounded by the 
freezing mixture as quickly as possible after the prep¬ 
aration of the latter. When it is a liquid, it may be 
contained in a bottle, which can be broken after the 
freezing is effected, if necessary. 

To Extract Grease Stains from Wall-Paper.—Oil 

marks can be taken from the paper on drawing-room 
walls, and marks where people have rested their heads, 
by mixing pipeclay with water to the consistency of 
cream, laying it on the spot and letting it remain till 
the following day, when it may be easily removed with 
a pen-knife or brush. 

Disinfecting Fluid. —The following is a recipe for 
one of the cheapest and most efficient disinfecting fluids 
known:— 

Heat two pounds of copperas in an old kettle for half 
an hour, stirring frequently. When cold, dissolve the 
copperas in two gallons of water. Add two ounces of 




232 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


carbolic acid, and mix well together. A pint of this 
solution poured into the kitchen sink every few days 
will keep it free from odors. It will also be found very 
useful for disinfecting the discharges of typhoid-fever 
patients, for which purpose a little should be kept in 
the vessel constantly. Even privy vaults can be kept 
in a comparatively harmless condition by the liberal use 
of this solution. 

To Remove Potato Sprouts. —Place the potatoes in 
barrels, about one bushel in each barrel. Tilt the bar¬ 
rel upon its edge, and roll it about with sufficient vigor 
to give the potatoes a thorough shaking. By this 
means the sprouts will be broken off; and by the repe¬ 
tition of the process once in a week or two, the potatoes 
may be kept free from young shoots. 

To Make Cloth Water-Proof. —Into a bucket of soft 
water put I lb. sugar of lead and I lb. powdered alum. 
Stir occasionally until the solution becomes clear, then 
pour it off into another bucket, and immerse the gar¬ 
ment in it. Allow the garment to remain in the solu¬ 
tion twenty-four hours. Scotch tweed is the best ma¬ 
terial for a water-proof cloak. 

There are several other methods: 1. Moisten the 
cloth on the wrong side with a weak solution of isin¬ 
glass. When this is dry, apply a solution of nut-galls. 
2 Moisten with a strong solution of soap, and then with 
a solution of alum. 3. Spread the cloth on a smooth 
surface with the wrong side up. Rub it with pure 
bees-wax until it is gray. Pass a hot iron over it, and 
brush it while still warm. 

How to Make a Filter. —Take a large flower pot or 
earthen vessel, make a hole one-half inch in diameter in 
the bottom, and insert in it a sponge. Place in the 
bottom of the vessel a number of clean stones of sizes 
varying from that of an egg to an apple. Place upon 
this a layer of much smaller stones and coarse gravel. 
Then fill the jar within two inches of the top, with equal 





HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 233 


parts of pulverized charcoal and sharp sand, well mixed. 
Place loosely over the top of the jar, white flannel cloth, 
allowing it to form a hollow in the middle of the jar, 
into which the water can be poured. Secure the edges 
by tying a stout cord around the outside of the jar. By 
keeping a suitable vessel under the filter thus made, 
and supplying rain-water when needed, very pure water 
can be obtained. It can be kept in a cool place in the 
summer. It will require to be renewed occasionally by 
exchanging the old sand and charcoal for fresh. The 
flannel and sponge must be frequently cleansed. 

Durable Whitewash. —Slack, with abundance of hot 
water, half a bushel of lime, stirring briskly meanwhile. 
When completely slacked, add sufficient water to dissolve. 
To this add two pounds of sulphate of zinc (white vit¬ 
riol) and one pound of common salt. The last-named 
ingredients cause the wash to harden, and prevent crack¬ 
ing. If a cream color is desired, add yellow ochre. For 
stone color, add raw umber and lampblack. 

Cleaning Bottles. —Small shot, pebbles, or broken 
charcoal, placed in a dirty bottle and shaken about with 
warm water and soap, will remove almost any kind of 
dirt. Charcoal is especially serviceable in removing un¬ 
pleasant odors from bottles. 

To Keep Water Cool. —Ice is almost universally de¬ 
pended upon as a means of cooling drinking water in 
summer. The free use of iced water is harmful. By 
making use of the following means, the water may be 
kept sufficiently cool to answer all the real demands of 
nature ; in fact it may be kept nearly at freezing tem¬ 
perature :—■ 

Place between two sheets of thick brown paper, a 
layer of cotton half an inch thick. Fasten the ends of 
the sheets together so as to form a roll. Sew in a bot¬ 
tom made of similar material, making it nearly air-tight, 
if possible. Fill a pitcher with cold water, and cover it 
with the cylindrical box by inverting it over the pitcher. 





234 


PRACTICAL MANUAL OF 


If the box is kept constantly wet with water, evaporation 
will go on so rapidly that the water in the pitcher will 
be kept very cool for a long time. 

Water may also be kept cool by placing it in jugs and 
wrapping them with wet cloths. 

Preserving Grapes. —Pick carefully the later kinds 
of grapes. Select such bunches as are perfect, rejecting 
all upon which there are any bruised grapes, or from 
which a grape has fallen. Spread them upon shelves 
in a cool place for a week or two. Then pack them in 
boxes in sawdust which has recently been thoroughly 
dried in an oven. Bran which has been well dried may 
also be used. Dry cotton is employed by some. Keep 
in a cool place. In this way, grapes may be kept until 
long after New Year’s with ease. 

Another method still more efficient is to select perfect 
bunches, as already directed, and dip the broken end of 
the stem of each bunch in melted sealing-wax. The 
bunches may then be wrapped in tissue paper and placed 
in layers, or hung in a cool place, or they may be packed 
in sawdust. 

Japanese Method of Cooking Rice. —Put the rice into 
a kettle with just enough water to prevent its burning to 
the bottom. Put on a close-fitting cover, and set over a 
moderate fire. The rice is thus steamed, rather than 
boiled. When it is nearly done, remove the cover and 
allow the surplus steam and moisture to escape. 

Rice cooked in this manner turns out a mass of snow- 
white kernels, each separate from the other, and as much 
superior to the soggy mass usually produced, as a fine 
mealy potato is to one which is water-soaked. 

Beef Tea. —Although not to be recommended as an 
article of diet, beef tea is frequently a valuable article of 
food for the sick, especially if properly made. Pound 
and cut the beef until it is reduced to a pulp, then place 
it in a dish and cover it with a very little cold water. 
Allow it to steep gently for two hours, then strain off the 




HEALTH AND TEMPERANCE. 


235 


juice, and it is ready for use. Some tastes will require 
the addition of a minute quantity of salt. One-half 
pound of beef is required for a pint of tea. A very 
excellent plan is to place the beef in a bottle with the 
water, and then place the bottle in a kettle of cold water, 
which should be gradually brought to the boiling point. 


The Bushel. —Weight is the only proper standard for 
the bushel, being the only accurate one. The following 


are the weights per bushel 
cles of commercial exchange 


Pounds. 

Wheat,. 60 

Shelled corn,. 56 

Ear corn,. 70 

Oats,. 32 

Rye,. 56 

Buckwheat, . 50 

Barley,. 48 

Corn-meal, . 48 

Bran, . 20 

Clover seed,.60 

Timothy seed,. 45 

Flax seed . 56 

Hemp seed,. 44 

Blue-grass seed,. 14 

Green apples,. 57 


for the most common arti- 

Pounds. 


Dried apples,. 57 

Dried peachec,. 28 

Coarse salt,. 50 

Fine salt,. 56 

Lime (unslacked),. 80 

Irish potatoes,. 60 

Sweet potatoes,. 55 

White beans,. 60 

Castor beans,. 46 

Beets,. 50 

Parsnips,. 44 

Carrots,. 50 

Onions,. 50 

Turnips, . 42 

Rutabagas,. 56 


Uses for Ashes. —There is no more valuable fertilizer 
than common wood-ashes ; but in order that they should 
retain their virtue, they should be kept under cover. 
Ashes which have been leached have very little value. 

Ashes are also valuable for disinfecting purposes. 
They are even better than dry earth for deodorizing ani¬ 
mal excreta. A privy may be kept entirely free from 
foul odors by their liberal use. When employed in this 
way, their disinfecting and fertilizing properties are both 
utilized. 

Another use for ashes which the farmers would do 
well to take advantage of, is due to their power of de¬ 
stroying various kinds of insects. Turnips and cab¬ 
bages may be protected from the ravages of various in¬ 
sects which feed upon them, by sprinkling upon and 


































23G 


PRACTICAL MANUAL 


around them a few ashes daily, for a short time. A 
practical farmer also asserts that unleached wood-ashes 
will permanently destroy potato bugs, if sprinkled upon 
the vines while they are moist with dew, or immediately 
after a rain. 

Cheap Paint for Barns and Sheds.—A very cheap 
paint may be made by mixing unslaked water-lime with 
milk to the proper consistency. It adheres well to wood, 
brick, mortar, or stone when no oil or paint has been 
previously applied. It makes a very durable coating, 
and its cheapness leaves nothing to be desired. Skim- 
milk is even better than new milk. Many farmers could 
greatly improve the appearance of their premises by 
covering with this simple paint their barns, sheds, fences, 
and out-buildings. 

To Preserve Shoes and Boots. —Do not expose them 
to extreme heat by warming them too near the stove. 
The smell of leather indicates that they are already in¬ 
jured. The wearing of rubbers is very injurious to 
leather. Rubbers should be worn as little as possible, 
and should be removed from the feet as soon as their 
use is not absolutely necessary. Every two or three 
weeks, wash the leather with a cloth moistened in warm 
water, and when nearly dry, apply a warm mixture of 
equal parts of neat’s foot oil and tallow. Ordinary 
blacking contains oil of vitriol, and this removes the oil 
from the leather and causes it to become dry and brittle. 






INDEX 


Absinthe. 

Accidents and emergencies 
.190-212 


Adhesive cloth.226 

Adulterations of food. ... 216 

Ague.157-160 

Ague, cause of. 74 

Air, fresh. 66 

“ impure, sources of.. 67 

“ night. 107 

Air. 108 

Alcohol. 9 

Alcohol, methylic. 13 

“ ethylic. 13 

“ propylic. 13 

“ butylic. 13 

“ amylic. 14 

Alcoholic degeneration .. 26 

Alcoholized muscles. 47 

Alcoholic drinks. 129 

Alcohol, facts about. .130-132 

Ale . 16 

Alexis St. Martin. 38 

Animal heat. 49 

Ants, to kill. 229 

Apoplexy . 150 

Apoplexy, alcoholic. 34 

Applications, hot. 214 

Arcus senilis. 34 

Ashes, uses for.235 


FAGK. 

Bad breath. 171 

Bad diet. 183 

Bad water, to detect.... 220 

Baldness. 176 

Barnyards. 92 


Baths, general directions 

212 

Bath, sponge. 


213 

“ sitz. 


213 

“ half. 


214 

“ vapor . 


215 

“ hot-air. 


215 

Beef tea. 


234 

Beds . 


91 

Biliousness. 

164- 

-166 

Bitters . 


16 

Black, to color. 


227 

Bleeding from lungs. 


201 

Blood corpuscles .. . 


24 

Blue, to color. 


228 

Boils. 


179 

Boots and shoes, to 

pre- 


serve . 


236 

Boots, to dry. 


230 

Borax wash.. 


230 

Bottles, to clean. . . . 


233 

Brain, drunkard’s . . 


33 

Brandy . 


16 

Bright’s disease .... 


44 

Bruises . 


203 



(237) 






















































238 


INDEX. 


Bug poison. 

.230 

... 179 

Colors, poisonous. 

Colds. 

Burns and scalds. . . 

. 144, 204 

Colic. 

Burns—carron-oil . 

. 226 

Cold feet. 

• t 


Compresses. 

Calcimining fluid . . 

. 222 

Condiments. 

Candies and food, poison- 

Consumption alcoholic. . 

ous. 

. 210 

Consumption, cattle liable 

Canker. 

. 174 

to. 


Carbonic-acid gas. 68 

Carbonous oxide. 69 

Carr on-oil. 226 

Care of the sick.186-189 

Causes of illness. 140 

Cellars. 85 

Cements for glass and 

china. 223 

Cements for iron. 224 

“ “ stone-ware . . 224 

“ “ wood. 225 

Cess-pools. 83 

Chapped hands, feet, and 

lips. 174 

Chafing . 173 

Chest-wrapper. 214 

Cheap paint for barns and 

sheds. 236 

Chimney on fire.208 

Chilblains. 145 

Choking. 197 

Cider. 16 

Cloth, to make water-proof 232 
“ to make uninflam¬ 
mable . 225 

Clothing, disinfecting.... 94 

Clothing. 110 

Coal-tar for fence-posts... 225 
Color, to restore,..222 


Convulsions 

Constipation. 

Consumption.167 

Corns . 

Cosmetics. 

Coughs . 

Cramps. 

Crick in the back. 

Cuts . 

Dandruff. 

Dangerous kerosene. 

Death, signs of. 

Diet and mental labor . .. 

Dirt in the eye. 

Disinfecting fluid. 

Diseases of women .. .182- 

Douche, pail. 

Drains. 

Drinks, alcoholic. 

Drowning and suffocation 

Dust. 

Dropsy. 

Drugs, abuse of,. 

Dysentery. 

Dyspepsia, drunkard’s . .. 

“ tobacco-user’s.. 
Dyspeptics, rules for. 


98 

141 

148 

163 
214 
113 

45 

124 

149 
161 

-169 

178 

98 

143 

166 

164 
202 

151 

211 

189 
138 
206 

83 

-186 

214 

83 

129 

190 
’72 

45 

184 

153 
41 
60 

154 





























































INDEX. 


239 


Earache. 147 

Ear, foreign bodies in the 207 
Eating between meals . .. 128 

“ hasty. 129 

Electricity. Ill 

Enemas. 215 

Exercise. 110 

Eyes, hygiene of. 99 

“ sore. 175 

“ inflammation of.... 175 

“ dirt in the. 206 

“ lime in the. 207 

Face-ache. 146 

Facts about alcohol.. .130-132 

Fainting. 150 

Far-sightedness. 176 

Fashionable dress, evils of 182 

Felon. 180 

Filter, how to make.232 

Fire proof paint for roofs 224 

Fomentations. 213 

Food. 109 

“ and diet.112-139 

“ poor. 113 


“ vegetable vs. animal 


. 116-118 

Foul odors, to destroy. ... 82 

Fractures and dislocations 204 

Freckles. 175 

Freezing. 205 

Freezing mixture. 231 

Fruit stains, to remove.. . 225 
Fusel Oil. 9 


Ceases, poisonous 67, 195, 196 


Gas illuminating. 197 

Germs. 71 

Gin. 16 

Grease, to remove from silk 222 

Green, to color.228 

Blair dyes. 98 

“ to cleanse the. 224 

Hands, to remove stains.. 222 

Hanging. 197 

Hang-nail. 181 

Hay, to find the weight of 226 

Heart-burn. 163 

Heart of drunkard. 27 

“ smoker. 59 

Health. 65 

Headache. 144 

Hemorrhage.199, 200 

Hiccough. 170 

How to detect bad water. 220 

House plants. 90 

House-cleaning. 96 

How to remove rust from 

clothing. 224 

Hydropathic appliances. . 

. 212-215 

Hygiene. 65-112 

“ of the eyes. 99 

Hygienic agencies. 107 

Hysterics. 150 

Indigestion. 166 

Ink, black. 229 

“ red. 229 

“ blue. 231 

























































240 


T NDEX. 


Ink indelible. 

229 

“ stains, to remove. . . 

225 

Insanity, alcoholic. 

42 

Insect stings. 

206 

Inunction... 

215 

Itch. 

176 

Jamaica ginger. 

16 

Kerosene, dangerous. . . . 

211 

Lager beer as food. 

136 

Late hours. 

183 

Leather, to clean. 

225 

Lice. 

177 

Lightning stroke. 

198 

Liquid glue. 

223 

“ bluing. 

229 

Liver, drunkard’s. 

43 

Liver, fissure of. 

103 

“ effect of diet on... 

132 

Looking-glasses, to clean 

224 

Lotion for fetid perspira- 


tion. 

225 

Lumbago. 

164 

Lungs, bleeding from,. . . 

201 

]TIad dog, bite of. 

205 

Malaria. 

74 

Meals, two a day.133- 

-135 

Meals, cheerfulness at. .. . 

139 

Meat, tender. 

135 

Mending' tin-ware. 

230 

Mental power. 

50 

Metal, to etch on.. . . 

230 

Mildew, to remove . . . 

223 

Milk, impure. 122- 

-124 


“ from stabled cows 


122-124 


Minnows, affected by al¬ 
cohol . 17 

Moderate drinking. 53 

Mold. 86 

Mosquitoes, to destroy. . . 226 
Mumps. 153 

Near-sightedness. 17G 

Nicotine. 56 

Nose-bleed. 200 

Organic poison. 73 

Ozone. 90 

Oily skin. 152 

JPack, wet-sheet. 213 

Paint, to remove... .222, 227 

Pain. 146 

Palpitation of the heart.. 166 
Paper, poisonous.97 

Paralysis, tobacco. 61 

Paste.227 

Percentage of alcohol in 

various liquors. 16 

Perry. 16 

Perspiration. 101 

Plants and alcohol. 17 

Plant wash, to destroy the 
fungi on plants. 227 

Poison, organic. 73 

Poisonous gases.67, 195 

“ paper. 97 

“ colors. 98 

“ sirups.124-126 

“ candies and food 210 

























































INDEX. 


241 


Poisonous properties of 


soda-water. 311 

Poisoning.309—313 

“ alcoholic. 310 

“ clironie. 310 

Poisons, vegetable. 309 

“ acids. 309 

“ mineral. 309 

“ alkalies. 310 

Pork, its effect on the sys¬ 
tem.118-131 

Potato sprouts, to remove 333 

Preserving grapes. 334 

Privies. 87 

Pulse of toper. 38 

Rattlesnake bite. . ..305 

Rats, to get rid of.338 


Rest, importance of. Ill 

Rheumatism. 

Rice, to cook, Japanese 

method. 

Round cistern, to find the 

capacity of. 

Rubbing-wet-sheet. 

Rum. 

Salt, facts about. 

Scarlet, to color. 

Sedentary habits. 

Sewers. 

. * 

Sexual sins. 

Shoes, thin . 

Sick-rooms, cleansing. . . . 

“ disinfecting. . 

signs of real death. 

Simple remedies for corn- 
16 


148 

334 

336 

314 

16 

114 


133 

83 

184 

104 

93 

95 

189 


mon diseases.140-189 

Skin. 101 

Sleeping-rooms. 90 

Sleeplessness.156, 173 

Small beer. 16 


Smoking, facts concerning 137 


Smoker’s cancer. 59 

Smoker’s heart. 59 

Sneezing. 170 

Soap to remove greese.... 333 

Soft soap.230 

Softening of the brain... 167 

Soldering fluid. 231 

Solder for tin and lead... 231 

Sore throat.142 

“ eyes. 175 

Spices. 139 

Sprain.203 

Starch polish. 337 

Steel, to preserve from rust 225 

Stitch in the side. 164 

Stings of insects.206 

Stomach, drunkard’s .... 37 

Stone bruise. 180 

Sulphureted hydrogen. .. 69 

Sunshine. 89 

Sunlight. HI 

Sun-stroke . 198 


'Tape-worm. 121 

Tea and coffee. 126 

Tests for adulterations.. . 216 
The sick, care of ... .186-189 

“ teeth, wash for.239 

“ bushel. 235 

Tight-lacing, effect of ... 106 


























































242 


INDUX. 


Tin, adulteration of. 22 L 

Tin-ware, to mend. 230 

Tobacco habit, the. 62 

Tobacco-using . 55 

Toothache. 146 

Tooth powder. 228 

Trichinae. 121 

Ulcers. 173 


Useful hints a n d reci¬ 
pes .222-236 

Vegetable and animal 

food.116—118 

Ventilation. 76 

Ventilating apparatus... 78 

Vomiting. 169 


Wall paper. 96 

“ to extract grease 

stains from. 231 

Warts. 177 

Washing iiuid. 228 

Water. 109 

11 to keep cool . 233 

“ poisonous. 122 

“ hard. 127 

“ iced. 128 

Wet sheet pack... . 213 

Whisky. 16 

Whitewash, durable.233 

Wine. 16 

Wood, to remove paint 

from. 223 

Women, diseases of . .182-186 

Worms. 160 

Wounds . 202 



















































THE COOKING SCHOOL 


BY MRS EC EC. EC. 


[The following pages will constitute a part of a large work on 
Food and Cookery, by Mro. E. E. Kellogg, now nearly completed.] 

jllJ IAT shall we eat, and how shall it be cooked ? 
SEEp! is a question of the greatest importance; not 
that we wish to intimate that the compounding 
of rich viands and epicurean dishes ought to engross 
more attention than it does; but in the truest sense 
of the adage that “ man eats to live,” the proper se¬ 
lection and preparation of such foods as can be most 
easily converted into healthy blood and tissue, is a 
matter of vital import. Men and women are the 
masterpieces of the infinite Artist, and are designed 
for the highest type of life and action ; but unless 
the conditions governing health are complied with, 
and the materials required to keep the body in work¬ 
ing order are prepared with care, it will be impossible 
for them to fulfill the purpose of existence in the best 
and truest manner. However excellent be the ma¬ 
terial selected, it may, by the manner in which it is 
prepared, be converted into something totally unfit 
to nourish the system ; and vice versa, the most ex¬ 
cellent culinary preparation cannot convert unwhole¬ 
some or innutritious substances into wholesome and 
nutritious ones. The real object of cooking food is 
to render it more digestible ; in fact, cooking ought 
to be a sort of partial preliminary digestion of the food 
elements ; but the numerous inventions and devices 
of our modern cuisine quite as often render it indi- 

( 1 ) 




2 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


gestible as otherwise. Doubtless the reason why 
healthful cookery is the exception, is ignorance re¬ 
specting the qualifications necessary to constitute a 
substance a fit food to supply the wants of the hu¬ 
man system, together with the custom of catering to 
please the palate without regard to dietetic value. 
Yery few persons, having once learned the value of 
a simple, healthful diet, would be willing to exchange 
it for one whose only merit is that of gratifying the 
taste. Many others wrnuld perhaps gladly adopt a 
more healthful regimen were they sufficiently con¬ 
versant with the ways and means for doing so. It 
is with the hope of assisting those who may desire 
to become more intelligent on this all-important sub¬ 
ject, that we are led to offer, in the following pages, 
some suggestions, which we trust will be found of 
practical value in the various branches of the culi¬ 
nary art. 

SOUPS. 

Soup is justly entitled to a prominent place in the 
science of cookery as a convenient, economical, and, 
when properly prepared of healthful and nutritious 
material, a wholesome article of diet. The weak, 
sloppy, greasy compounds often served under that 
title, howmver, cannot be too greatly condemned. 
Pepper, salt, and flavorings may make them palata¬ 
ble, but only add to their indigestibility. Soup, to 
fulfill its true mission, should contain as small a 
proportion of water, and as large an amount of nu¬ 
tritive material, as possible. Soups containing a 
large amount of water are not so quickly digested as 
solid foods, since the fluid portion must be absorbed 




SOUPS. 


3 


by the stomach before the process of digestion can 
he carried on. Scientifically prepared, however, the 
solid matter which enters into the composition of 
soups is so broken up in the process of preparation 
that it is readily dissolved by the digestive juices. 
Especially is this the case with soups made from 
dried peas and beans, both of which are very nutri¬ 
tious foods, and much more easily digested in a well- 
prepared soup than in any other form. Taken hot 
at the beginning of a meal, soup stimulates the 
flow of the digestive juices, and on account of its 
bulk brings the sense of satisfaction before an exces¬ 
sive quantity of food has been taken into the stomach. 

The nutritive value of soup depends of course upon 
its ingredients, and these should always be chosen 
with reference to the maintenance of health. Great 
care should also be exercised in selecting for the re¬ 
maining bill of fare such articles as will combine with 
the soup to supply the proper proportion of nutri¬ 
tive elements, provided the soup is one lacking in 
nitrogenous elements. For example, if the soup se¬ 
lected be one composed of potato, tomato, or any like 
ingredient largely composed of starch and water, the 
remaining bill of fare should include some article es¬ 
pecially rich in nitrogenous elements, as whole-wheat 
bread, cracked wheat, oatmeal, and similar grains. 

Beef, mutton, or chicken, well prepared, make 
Avholesome soups, especially with the addition of the 
grains; but soups made from animal food are not 
more nutritious than those made from the grains 
only, or from some of the legumes, as peas, beans, or 
lentils. Indeed, if we compare the relative values of 



4 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


the two classes of food, as given by various eminent 
authors on food, we shall find that the legumes con¬ 
tain a larger proportion of nutritious elements and 
fewer objectionable features than flesh foods, while 
they have the added advantage of being less ex¬ 
pensive. 

Milk is a factor of no small importance in the 
preparation of vegetable or grain soups, and should 
be used largely in the place of water when available. 
It is in itself a perfect food, and consequently adds to 
the nutritive value of the soup, and serves the pur¬ 
pose of a fluid at the same time. In the preparation 
of soups from such vegetables as potatoes, parsnips, 
and others of the class composed largely of starch, 
and containing but a small proportion of nitrogenous 
food elements, it should enter largely into their com¬ 
position, as an addition to their food value, as well as 
to their palatable qualities. 

For the preparation of soup, a soup pot which rests 
on standards, and in which a soup can cook for a 
long time on the top of the stove without burning, is 
the most serviceable utensil; but an ordinary kettle 
can be used. It is best, however, to devote it en¬ 
tirely to soup making, not using it for any other pur¬ 
pose. Soups are far better, as a rule, to simmer 
gently than to boil rapidly and hard. In prepar¬ 
ing vegetable soups, it is best to use but a small 
quantity of water, and if it evaporates before the 
vegetables are done, that which it is necessary to add 
should be of a boiling temperature, in order that the 
boiling may not cease, as otherwise the vegetables are 
likely to become watery. In the preparation of soups 



SOUPS. 


5 


from animal substances, the proper proportion of water 
to be used is about one quart to every pound of meat 
and bones. Both meats and vegetables for soups are 
better to be put to cook in cold water, and allowed 
to soak until the water reaches the boiling point, 
since the object is to extract as much of the flavor 
and juices as possible. "When milk is added to soup 
just previous to serving, it is better to use hot milk 
rather than cold. 

Soups should be of an equal consistency through¬ 
out, and in the preparation of simple vegetable soups, 
the ingredients should be rubbed through a wire 
sieve or colander when tender, otherwise the mixture 
will be a sort of mushy hodge podge instead of soup. 
Good soups should be attractive in appearance, as 
well as agreeable to the taste, and must contain no 
broken fragments of the material of which they are 
composed. Shredded vegetables and grains,-when 
used in soups, should be cooked only until tender, 
not till they are dissolved. In making soups of dried 
beans, peas, etc., the sifting is absolutely essential, 
since the skins are not easily digested, and should be 
removed. 

If a soup is too thick, it should be diluted with 
milk or water; if too thin, it may be thickened 
with a little flour braided with milk. Whole-wheat 
cut into dice and browned in the oven, makes excel¬ 
lent croutons to serve with soup. Put a spoonful or 
two of them into each soup plate, and dish the hot 
soup over them when serving. Most soups are much 
nicer to turn through the colander a second time in 
pouring from the kettle into the tureen, as that will 



6 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


remove any lumpy substance that may have formed 
in them. Grain and vegetable soups are very easily 
made, and are among the most palatable of all soups. 
The following are a few of the many excellent ways 
in which they may be prepared:— 

Cream Pea Soup. —Put three-fourths of a pint of dried 
peas to soak over night in a quart of water. In the morn¬ 
ing, drain and put to cook in cold water. As soon as the 
water boils, skim carefully, cover closely, and let simmer 
gently four or five hours, or until the peas are very tender ; 
when done, rub through a colander to remove the skins. 
If the jDeas are very dry, add a little water occasionally to 
moisten them and facilitate the sifting Just before the 
peas are done, prepare potatoes, cut in thin slices, enough to 
make a pint and a half, and put them to cook in a small 
amount of cold water. Let them simmer until dissolved, 
and then rub through a colander. Add the potato thus 
prepared to the sifted peas, and add water or milk enough 
to make three and one-half pints in all. Return the soup 
to the fire, and add a small head of celery, or half a large 
one cut in pieces about a finger in length, and let the wdiole 
simmer together ten or fifteen minutes, until the flavor of 
the celery is extracted. Remove the pieces of celery with 
a skimmer, and add a cup of thin cream, and salt to taste. 
This should make about two quarts of soup. 

Brown Soup.— Simmer together two pints of sliced po¬ 
tatoes and one-third as much of the thin brown shavings 
(not thicker than a silver dime) from the top crust of°a 
whole-wheat loaf of bread, in two quarts of water. The 
crust must not be burned nor blackened, and must not in¬ 
clude any of the soft portion of the loaf. When the potatoes 
are tender, mash all through a colander. Flavor with a cup 
of strained, stewed tomatoes, a little salt, and return to the 
fire; when hot, add a half cup of cream, and serve at once. 
If care has been taken to prepare the crust as directed, this 
soup will have a brown color, and a fine pungent flavor ex¬ 
ceedingly pleasant to the taste. 

Tomato and Macaroni Soup— Break a half dozen 
sticks of macaroni into small pieces, and drop into boiling 
salted w r ater.. Let it boil for an hour, or until perfectly 
tendei. Strain two quarts of stewed or canned tomatoes, to 




SOUPS. 


7 


remove all seeds and fragments. When the macaroni is 
done, cut each piece into tiny rings, and add to the strained 
tomatoes. Season with salt, and boil for a few minutes. 
Put a little cream into each soup plate, and turn the soup 
onto it to serve. 

Potato Soup. —To each quart of soup required, boil a 
pint of sliced potatoes and a slice or two of white onion, in 
sufficient water to cover them. When tender, turn into a 
colander, and rub through with a wooden spoon or potato 
masher. Return to the fire, and add a quart of rich, sweet 
milk, part cream if it can be afforded, and a little salt. Let 
the soup come to a boil, and add a teaspoonful of flour, 
rubbed to a paste wfltli a little cream ; boil a few minutes, 
and serve. Instead of the onion, a stalk or two of celery or 
a little parsley may be minced and added for flavoring, thus 
making an entirely different soup. 

Potato and Bean Soup.— Soak a half pint of dry white 
beans over night; in the morning, drain and put to cook in 
cold water. When tender, rub through a colander. Pre¬ 
pare sliced potato sufficient to make one quart, cook until 
tender in as small a quantity of water as possible, and 
when done, sift through a colander, and add to the beans. 
Add milk or water sufficient to make two quarts, and as 
much prepared thyme as can be taken on the point of a pen¬ 
knife, with salt to"taste. Boil for a few minutes, add a tea¬ 
cup of thin cream, and serve. 

Scotch Broth.— Soak over night two tablespoonfuls of 
pearl barley and one of coarse oatmeal in water sufficient to 
cover them. In the morning, put the grains, together with 
the water in which they were soaked, into two quarts of 
-water, and simmer for several hours, adding boiling water 
as needed. About an hour before the soup is required, add 
a turnip cut into small dice, a grated carrot, and one-half 
cup of fine pieces of the brown portion of the crust of a 
loaf of whole-wheat bread. Just before serving, rub all 
through a colander, and add salt and a cup of milk, and a 
half cup of cream. This should make about three pints of 

soup. 

Vegetable Oyster Soup— Scrape all the outer covering 
and small rootlets from the vegetable oysters, and lay them 
in a pan of cold water to prevent discoloration. The scrap- 
in 0, can be done much easier if the roots are allowed to 




8 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


stand in cold water for an hour or so before they are needed. 
Slice enough of the prepared roots to make one quart, and 
put them to cook in a quart of water. Let them boil slowly 
for two hours, or until very tender. If it is desired to make 
the soup with an especial oyster flavor, a piece of salt cod¬ 
fish about an inch square may be boiled with the vegetable 
oysters, and removed as soon as the roots are tender. (We 
do not especially recommend this, however, and persons 
whose tastes arje unperverted will prefer the soup without 
this addition.) When tender, add a pint of milk, a cup of 
thin cream, salt if desired, and, when boiling, a tablespoon¬ 
ful or two of flour, rubbed to a paste with a little milk. 
Let the soup boil a few minutes until thickened, and serve. 

BREAD. 

Bread is one of the products of the cuisine which, if 
palatable, most people consume without stopping to 
marvel at it; yet if made in a proper manner, and 
from nutritive material, it is, with the exception of 
milk, the article best fitted for nourishment of the 
body, and can, if need he, supply the place of all other 
foods. In nearly all the ancient languages the ety¬ 
mology of the word “ bread ” signifies all ,-showing that 
the article was intended to be what it has been most 
fittingly termed, the “ staff of life,” though much that 
in these days is called bread might more properly be 
styled a “ broken reed.” 

Bread of some kind has been the food of mankind 
from the earliest times, though it is probable that the 
earliest form of the article was simply whole grain 
moistened and then heated. Afterward, the grains 
were roasted, and ground or pounded between stones, 
and unleavened bread was made by mixing the flour 
thus made with water, and baking it in an oven or 
pan. Among the many ingenious arrangements used 
by the ancients for baking this bread, was an oven 




BREAD. 


9 


in shape something like a pitcher, in the inside of which 
they made a fire, and when it was well heated, applied 
to the outside the paste made of flour and water. 

Such bread was baked almost instantly, and was 
taken off in small, thin sheets like wafers. Flat cakes 
of some kind was the common form in which most of 
the bread of olden times was baked; and being too 
brittle to be cut with a knife, the common mode of 
dividing it was by breaking, hence the expression so 
common in Scripture of “ breaking bread.” 

Various substances have been and are employed 
for making this needful article. Until the last few 
decades, barley was the grain most universally used 
for this purpose. The Thracians make bread from the 
flour of the water-coltron, a prickly root of triangular 
form. Chestnuts, mulberries, and rice are used by dif¬ 
ferent nationalities in the preparation of bread. In 
many parts of Sweden, bread is made from dried fish, 
using half fish flour and half barley flour; and in win¬ 
ter, flour made from the bark of trees is added. But 
the substances in most universal use among civilized 
nations at the present time are barley, rye, oats, maize, 
buckwheat, rice, and wheat, of which the latter has ac¬ 
quired a preference, and become an almost exclusive 
article for bread-making purposes. 

Chemical analysis shows that wheat contains just 
the required amount of each of the food elements nec¬ 
essary for perfect nutrition. These elements are 
found, however, in different parts of the wheat berry, 
and not uniformly distributed through its structure. 
The central portion is chiefly starch, while the gluten 
or nitrogenous portion is found just inside the outer 



10 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


husk; consequently, flour from which the outer por¬ 
tion of the grain has been removed does not contain 
the requisite bone-and-muscle-building material need¬ 
ed for the maintenance of the body in perfect health. 
The fine white flour in most common use is made of 
the inner part of the grain, and is composed almost 
entirely of starch, which, alone, will not sustain life. 

Notwithstanding the important part bread was de¬ 
signed to play in the economy of life, it is a fact that 
the article which will answer all the requirements of 
good, wholesome bread, is seldom found. Besides be¬ 
ing palatable, good bread must contain as many as pos¬ 
sible of the elements of nutrition ; it must be light 
and porous, so that it can be easily insalivated and di¬ 
gested, and it should contain no ingredient which will 
be in any way injurious if taken into the system. 

For general use, the most convenient kind of bread 
is doubtless that made of wheat flour, leavened or 
raised by fermentation, though in point of nutritive 
value and healthfulness it does not equal light, unfer¬ 
mented bread made without soda or baking-powder. 
Fermentation is a decomposing process, so that the 
best yeast bread is deprived of a part of its nutritive 
qualities. To make good fermented bread, three 
things are absolutely necessary ; viz., good flour, good 
yeast, and good care. Without these, good bread can¬ 
not be produced by any effort of art. 

Good flour will be sweet, dry, and free from acidity 
or musty flavor. To secure these requisites, the flour 
should be prepared from grain which has been fully 
matured, and which has suffered no deterioration from 
rust, mold, or exposure, and has been thoroughly 



YEAST AND FERMENTATION. 


11 


cleansed before grinding. It should not be deprived 
of any of its nutrient elements, nor be too coarsely 
ground. 

YEAST AND FERMENTATION. 

Yeast is a plant belonging to the order of fungi 
which, when surrounded by the proper material, for 
food, and aided by warmth and moisture, begins to 
grow and multiply itself by sending out millions of 
minute spores, each of which, under proper condi¬ 
tions, in turn becomes a parent plant to assist in 
propagating the yeast family. This process of 
growth excites fermentation. Such fermentation oc- 
curring in a mass of dough made of flour and water 
or milk, causes the starch of the flour to be converted 
into sugar, and then into carbonic acid and alcohol. 
If the dough is baked at this stage, a light, porous 
loaf will result; but if the fermentation is allowed to 
proceed still farther, acetic acid is formed, and the 
whole mass becomes sour. If, however, when the 
fermentation has reached the carbonic acid stage, 
new material be added, the yeast will continue its 
activity, and the fermentation proceed as before. A 
combination *of flour, water, and salt, without the in¬ 
troduction of yeast, if left by itself in a temperature 
between 70° and 90°, will ferment. This fact is often 
utilized by house-wives in making what is termed 
salt-rising bread. Scientists assure us that the fer¬ 
mentation, even in this case, is occasioned by a cer¬ 
tain species of the yeast family, the spores of which 
are continually flying about in the atmosphere and 
getting into the flour, so that upon the proper condi¬ 
tions of warmth and moisture being supplied, they at 



12 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


once begin to grow and multiply and excite fermen¬ 
tation. This process of fermentation is more lengthy 
and uncertain than when yeast is added to the mixt¬ 
ure. Doubtless the most convenient yeast for bread¬ 
making purposes, when it can be obtained fresh, is 
tlm compressed yeast; but this is not always obtain¬ 
able, and unless fresh it is not reliable, so that it is 
often necessary for the house-wife to prepare yeast 
herself. 

The following are two excellent and simple meth¬ 
ods of preparing home-made yeast:— 

No. 1. Put a small handful of dried hop blossoms, 
or an eighth of an ounce of the pressed hops (put up 
by the Shakers and sold by druggists), into a stew- 
pan ; pour over them a quart of boiling water, and 
let them simmer about five minutes. Meanwhile stir 
to a smooth paste in a tin basin or another saucepan, 
a cup of flour and a little cold water. Line a colan¬ 
der with a thin cloth, and strain the boiling infusion 
of hops through it on to the paste, stirring continu¬ 
ally. .Boil this thin starch a few minutes, until it 
thickens, stirring constantly that no lumps be formed, 
and that all portions may be of the same consistency. 
Turn it into a large earthen bowl, add a tablespoon¬ 
ful of salt and two spoonfuls of white sugar, and 
when it has cooled to blood heat, add a half tea-cup 
of lively yeast, stirring all well together. Place it in 
a moderately warm temperature, or cover very 
closely with several folds of flannel blanket, and leave 
it to ferment. Examine it every few hours, and as it 
becomes light, give it a good stirring. Continue to 
do this for twenty-four hours, when it should be 



YEAST AND FERMENTATION. 


13 


“ quiet *’ enough to cover and put away in a cool 
piace tiil needed. 

No. 2. Peel four large potatoes, and put them to 
boil in two quarts of cold water. Tie two handfuls 
of hops securely in a piece of muslin, and place in the 
water to boil with the potatoes. When the potatoes 
are tender, remove them with a perforated skimmer, 
leaving the wader still boiling. Mash them, and 
work in four tablespoonfuls of flour and two of sugar. 
Over this mixture pour gradually the boiling hop in¬ 
fusion, stirring constantly that it may form a smooth 
paste, and set it aside to cool. When lukewarm, add 
a gill of lively yeast, and proceed as in the preceding 
recipe. 

If started with good yeast, that made by either of 
the above recipes should keep good for a fortnight in 
summer, and longer in winter. Compressed yeast, a 
half cake dissolved in a little warm water, is some¬ 
times recommended for use in starting a new yeast; 
but we have found in our own experience that yeast 
thus started does not retain its activity so long as 
when other yeast is used. 

Yeast should always be kept in a clean, tightly - 
covered jar ; glass is best, since it is less porous than 
stone and more easily cleansed. The jar should 
always be cleansed and scalded with scrupulous care 
every time new yeast is put in it, since even the 
smallest particle of sour or spoiled yeast will destroy 
good yeast. Yeast should be kept in a cool place— 
the cellar or refrigerator is best. Even a half hour 

in a hot kitchen may spoil it. 

The first step in the process of bread-making is the 



14 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


preparation of a “rising,” or “ferment.” For all 
bread-making purposes a large earthen bowl is much 
preferable to either tin or wooden utensils, since it 
protects the sponge from the cold air much more ef¬ 
fectually than tin, and is much more easily kept clean 
and fresh than wooden ware. The bowl should bo 
kept exclusively for the purpose of bread-making, 
and should never be allowed to contain any sour sub¬ 
stance, and must be thoroughly scalded and aired 
after each using. 

For preparing a ferment, scald a quart of whole¬ 
wheat flour with an equal quantity of boiling water, 
pouring the water on very gradually that no lumps 
be formed. When this has cooled to lukewarm, add 
a half-cup of home-made yeast, or a half-cake of com¬ 
pressed yeast dissolved in a little lukewarm water, 
and leave it to rise. The time required for it to grow 
light will vary according to the strength of the yeast 
and the amount of warmth supplied. Great care 
must be taken to keep it of an equable temperature, 
not lower than 70° nor higher than 90°, F. An oc¬ 
casional chill followed by a warming up process will 
be quite as depressing to bread as are chills and fever 
to a person’s health. For this reason the bowl should 
be wrapped very closely in several folds of woolen 
blanket, and left in a warm room or placed in a 
warming oven of equable temperature. The more 
elevated the temperature between the limits named, 
the more rapid the fermentation. At a temperature 
below 30° fermentation will be arrested, and will pro¬ 
ceed slowly at 50°. These facts are very important 
ones for the housewife, since by arranging to keep 



YEAST A.ND FERMENTATION. 


15 


her ferment at a temperature of about 50°, she can 
set her bread in the evening, and find it light and 
ready for further attention in the morning. 

When the ferment is light, which will be shown by 
its being a mass of white substance like sea-foam, 
rather than by its having greatly risen, add to it 
sufficient warm sifted flour to make a very thick bat¬ 
ter ; and having beaten it well, leave it to rise again. 
Some cooks recommend adding only small quantities 
of flour at a time, and allowing the sponge to rise sev¬ 
eral times, beating it back and adding new flour each 
time till it becomes thick enough to be molded. 
Flour should always be warm when added to bread, 
in order that it may not arrest the fermentation. 

When thick batter or sponge is well risen and 
cracked over the top like “ crazed ” china, sufficient 
flour to make it of the proper consistency must bo 
added, and the dough thoroughly kneaded. The ex¬ 
act amount of flour necessary cannot be stated, since 
the quantity varies with the quality of the flour ; but 
three quarts of flour to one of wetting will usually be 
sufficient for the entire process of bread-making. 
When the dough clings together, and works away 
from the side of the bowl, enough flour has been 
added. Bread should always be kneaded as soft as it 
can be handled, and only sufficient flour added to pre¬ 
vent its sticking to the board. Stiff bread is close in 
textuf-e, and after a day or two becomes dry and 
hard. Bread should be kneaded till it works clean of 
the board and will rebound like India-rubber after a 
smart blow with the fist in the center of the mass. 
If it will not thus resent the blow, it is not sufficiently 




16 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


kneaded. Its elasticity is the surest test of its good¬ 
ness j and when perfectly developed, it can be molded 
into any shape, rolled, twisted, or braided with per¬ 
fect case. When molded, it should be divided into 
loaves, and placed in sheet-iron bread-pans,—those 
about twice the size of a brick are the most desira¬ 
ble,—and put in a warm place to rise. It rises much 
more evenly, and does not have a stiff, dried surface, 
if covered closely with a blanket to keep it of the 
necessary temperature, rather than if placed in a 
warming oven, or some other warm place where it 
will be exposed to air. 

The most important point in the whole preparation 
of the bread is to decide when it is sufficiently light 
after having been placed in the pans. The length of 
time cannot be given, because it will vary with the 
temperature, the quality of the flour, and the quan¬ 
tity added during the kneading. At a temperature 
of 75° an hour or an hour and a half is about the 
average length of time. A loaf should nearly double 
its size after being placed in the pan before being put 
in the oven, although it is better to begin the baking 
before it has perfectly risen than to wait until it has 
become so light as to have begun to fall. Lightness 
is by no means the only property required in good 
bread ; and if the fermentation proceeds too far, the 
sweetness of the grain will be destroyed, and the 
bread will be tasteless and innutritious. 

For the baking of the bread the oven should not be 
too hot. If the bare arm cannot be held inside it 
with comfort while thirty is being counted, it is too 
quick. It should be hot enough to arrest fermenta- 



YEAST AND FERMENTATION. 


17 


tion, but not hot enough to brown the crust within 
ten or fifteen minutes. 

The rising of bread is the result of the attempt of 
the carbonic acid, formed during the process of fer¬ 
mentation, to disengage itself and escape ; and in the 
struggle upward it lifts the elastic mass of dough, 
which is thus raised, and at the same time filled full 
of little air-cells formed by the escaping gases. The 
heat of the oven at first causes the further expansion of 
the gases, but it soon checks the process of fermenta¬ 
tion altogether. The sooner, after the arrest of the 
fermentation, the air-cells are fixed by the heat, the? 
more light and porous will be the bread. Conse¬ 
quently, though the heat should not be greatest when 
the bread is first put in the oven, it should increase 
for the first fifteen minutes. After the bread is half 
baked it may gradually decrease during the remainder 
of the baking. If the heat is too great, the bread 
will bake on the outside before it has risen properly, 
and consequently the center will be heavy. Be care¬ 
ful that no draught reaches the bread while baking ; 
open the oven door very seldom, and not at all for 
the first ten minutes. From three-fourths to an hour 
is usually a sufficient length of time for an ordinary¬ 
sized loaf to bake. The common test for well-baked 
bread is to tap it on the bottom with the finger ; if it 
sounds hollow, it is well done. A thoroughly baked 
loaf, when removed from the pan and lifted in the 
hand, will not burn it. 

When done, remove the loaves from the tins, and 
tilt them upon their edge so that the air may reach 
all sides of them and prevent “sweating.” When 




18 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


perfectly cold, wrap in a clean, thick cloth, and 
put into a tin bread-box. 

Whole-Wheat Muffins . —Dissolve a half cake of com¬ 
pressed yeast in half a pint of milk, and add a sufficient 
quantity of rich milk to make a pint. Stir into it three cups 
of whole-wheat flour, and set in a warm place to rise. When 
light as a foam, stir in two well beaten eggs, and turn into 
gem irons or muffin rings, filling them only half full. Let 
them rise till very light, and bake in a quick oven. 

Currant Muffins.— Prepare the muffins in accordance 
with the above recipe, and when well risen, add with the 
eggs two tablespoonfuls sugar and a handful of zante cur¬ 
rants. Turn into the irons to rise, and when light, bake in 
,a quick oven. 

UNFERMENTED BREAD. 

Unfermented bread, made without soda, saleratus, 
or baking-powder, is not, as is apt to be supposed, 
synonymous with tough, heavy 7- bread, nor need the 
making of it be an over-difficult operation. It cer¬ 
tainly is a much quicker process than the preparation 
of yeast bread, and has the added advantage of retain¬ 
ing all the nutritive properties of the grain from 
which it is made ; while fermented bread, however 
skillfully made, is, through the destructive process of 
fermentation, robbed of a portion of its sweetness and 
natural flavor. It is vastly superior to breads com¬ 
pounded with soda or baking-powder in point of 
healthfulness, and when well prepared, will equal 
them in lightness and palatableness. Soda, saleratus, 
and the whole tribe of baking-powders—whose name 
is legion—should never be tolerated. They lighten 
bread only r by adding to it something injurious. 

The chemical process of bread-raising originally con¬ 
sisted in adding to the dough definite proportions of 



UNEEKMENTED BREAD. 


19 " 


muriatic acid and carbonate of soda, by the union of 
which carbonic acid and common salt were produced. 
This process was soon abandoned, however, on ac¬ 
count of the propensity exhibited by the acid for eating 
holes in the fingers of the bakers as well as in their 
bread-pans; and the more convenient one—for hands 
and pans—of using soda or saleratus with cream ot 
tartar or sour milk, was substituted. Soda and sal¬ 
eratus are in themselves inorganic, indigestible sub¬ 
stances. The soda, when used with cream of tartar, 
forms a chemical salt, which remains in the bread, 
and which is exactly the same as the R,ochelle salts 
used in medicine. It is the carbonic acid gas that 
escapes during the process of the combination, that 
puffs up the loaf. When there is an excess of soda, 
a portion of it remains in the loaf, uncombined, giving 
to the bread a yellow color and an alkaline taste, and 
dome; an abundance of mischief to the delicate coat- 
in£ of the stomach into which it is taken. 

Soda and pure baking-powder are essentially the 
same substances, bicarbonate of soda and cream of 
tartar, mixed in the proper proportions to exactly 
neutralize each other, and il they were always pure, 
would certainly be as good as soda and cream ot tar¬ 
tar in any form, and possess the added advantage of 
perfect proportions; but as was demonstrated not 
long ago, by the government chemist, nearly every 
variety of baking-powder in the market is largely 
adulterated with such cheap and harmful substances 
as chalk, alum, terra alba, etc. Out of several hun¬ 
dred brands of baking-powder examined, only one 
was found pure. Nor is the adulteration confined to 



20 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


baking-powder alone ; much that is sold as soda and 
cream of tartar is largely adulterated with injurious 
and foreign substances. Even in their purest possi- 
ble state, these substances are harmful; but when we 
add the adulterations, they may become exceedingly 
pernicious to health. 

Fortunately, it is not necessary to manufacture 
carbonic acid gas, either by fermentation or by a 
chemical process, in order to make light bread. 
Pure, fresh air, so abundant and free to all, can be 
made to do it quite as effectually. Aerated bread, 
however, requires quite as much skill to make as 
yeast bread ; but when once familiar with the details, 
a little practice will enable one to obtain most satis¬ 
factory results. 

Quite as much depends on the conditions and ma¬ 
terial as in the making of yeast bread. The flour 
must be good ; if water is used as wetting, it should 
be pure and soft; if milk is used, it must be fresh 
and sweet; and both should be cold, ice cold, if pos¬ 
sible. Neither poor flour, hard water, nor sour milk 
will make good unfermented bread. The oven, too, 
must be quite as hot as for yeast bread, and the fire 
so arranged as to keep a steady but not greatly in¬ 
creasing heat. If the oven is too hot or too cold, the 
bread will not be a success, however carefully made. 
If twenty cannot be counted with the hand held in¬ 
side, the oven is too hot. A little experience will 
enable the cook to regulate the heat just right. 

The lightness of unfermented bread depends upon 
the amount of air incorporated during the process of 
making; then when heat is applied, the air expands, 





UNFERMENTED BREAD. 


21 


and in expanding, raises the bread. Hence it is evi¬ 
dent that the oven must be quick enough to form a 
slight crust before the air escapes, thus confining it 
within the loaf. For this reason, unfermented bread 
is best baked in the form of rolls or small biscuit, 
placed sufficiently far apart for the heat to at once 
have access to all sides of them, or baked in small 
iron cups previously heated. The following are a 
few of the many good ways of making unfermented 
bread:— 

Breakfast Bolls.— Sift a pint and a half of good whole¬ 
wheat flour into a bowl, and mix with it a cup of rich milk 
which has been set on ice for half an hour, or made very 
cool in some other way. Pour the milk into the flour very 
slowly, a few spoonfuls at a time, mixing it with the flour 
as fast as poured in, allowing no pools to form to make the 
dough sticky. A little salt may be added to the milk before 
mixing it with the flour, if the bread cannot be relished with¬ 
out it. Mix the dough stiff enough so that it will not ad¬ 
here to the kneading-board, and knead it very thoroughly 
for at least a half hour, or until it becomes sufficiently elastic 
to resent a poke of the fist, and readily springs back to its 
original shape. The dough should be mixed quite stiff , if 
too soft, it will be moist and clammy. The amount of flour 
necessary will vary with the quality, but three times the 
amount of liquid used will usually be quite sufficient for 
mixing and dusting the board. When thoroughly kneaded, 
divide into two pieces, and roll each over and over with the 
hands, until a long roll is formed of about one inch in di¬ 
ameter; cut this into two-inch lengths, prick with a fork, 
and place at once in tins far enough apart so they will not 
touch eacli other when baking. Each roll should be as 
smooth and perfect as possible, and with no dry flour adlier 
ing. The rolls must not be allowed to stand after being 
molded, but as a tinful is formed they should be placed at 
once in the oven, which should be all ready and of the 
proper temperature. About twenty-five minutes will be 
required to bake well. When done, spread on the table to 
cool, but do not pile one on top of another. 

Very nice rolls are made in the same manner, using ice- 




22 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


cold water instead of milk. They are more crisp than milk 
rolls, and are preferred by some. Soft water only should be 
used in making them, as hard water is apt to make them 
tough. 

Beaten Biscuit. —Into a quart of whole-wheat flour mix a 
large cup of thin sweet cream in the same manner as for 
breakfast rolls The dough must be very stiff, and rendered 
soft and pliable by thorough kneading and pounding with a 
mallet for at least a half hour. When well worked, the dough 
will appear flaky and brittle, and pulling a piece off the 
dough quickly will cause a sharp, snapping sound. Mold 
into small biscuits, making an indenture in the center of 
each with the finger, prick them well with a fork, and place 
in tins with quite a space between them, and put at once 
into the oven. The oven should be of the same temperature 
as for rolls. If either the biscuits or rolls are “sad” inside 
when cold, they were not well baked, as they should be 
light and tender. Both the rolls and beaten biscuit may 
be made of graham flour if preferred, instead of whole¬ 
wheat. 

4 

Breakfast Puffs, or Gems. —To one and a half cups of 
cold milk, add one well-beaten egg, salt if desired, and two 
cups of whole-wheat or graham flour, or sufficient to make a 
batter thick enough not to settle flat when put in the irons. 
The lightness of the puffs depends upon the quantity of air 
incorporated into them, and in order to get in as large an 
amount as possible, the flour should be added very slowly, 
only a little at a time, and the mixture beaten very thor¬ 
oughly and continuously, not by stirring round and round, 
but by dipping the spoon in and partially lifting it out very 
swiftly and quickly, making as many bubbles of air as possi¬ 
ble. It should take from five to ten minutes’ constant beat¬ 
ing thus before the last of the flour is added , then the 
mixture should be turned at once into hot gem-irons, and 
baked in a quick oven. The beating must be continuous 
from the beginning in order not to allow any of the air to 
escape, and the flour should be measured, the egg well 
beaten, the oven hot, and the gem-irons heating before com¬ 
mencing to put the mixture together Unless" the irons are 
hot, so much air will escape before they are heated enough 
to form a crust on the bottom and sides of the cakes that 
they will not be light, but the irons should not be hot 
enough to burn the batter. 



GRAINS AND MUSHES. 


23 


Plainer gems may be made in the same manner, with 
water only, instead of tlie milk and egg, using one part 
water to about two of flour. 

In making tbese puffs, tlie irons should not be smeared 
with grease ; if necessary to oil them at all, they should only 
be wiped out with an oiled cloth very carefully Irons well 
cared for, carefully washed and kept smooth, need no oiling 
whatever. We have used a set daily for the last tlnee 
months without once oiling. 

Corn Puffs. —One cup of cold mashed potatoes and one 
cup of milk, rubbed through a colander or sieve to work out 
all lumps , add the yolk of a well-beaten egg, and then stir 
in slowlv, beating well as for breakfast puffs ; one cup of 
corn meal; add lastly the white of the egg beaten to a stiff 
froth, and bake at once in heated gem-irons. A little salt 
may be added to the batter if desired. Wheat flour may be 
substituted for potato if preferred,. in which case it should 
be mixed with the corn meal before it is added to the mixture. 

Cream Cake.— Excellent plain cake, lightened with air, 
can be made by using one cup of sweet cream, three-fourths 
of a cup of sugar, into which a little grated lemon-peel lias 
been mixed, and the well-beaten yolk of one egg. Into this 
stir slowly, beating vigorously so as to get in as much air as 
possible, from one and a half to two cups of flour. The ex¬ 
act amount will vary with the grade of flour and the size of 
the e°'g used. Lastly, add the white of the egg, previously 
whipped to a stiff froth, just stirring it in well, but not beat¬ 
ing the mixture afterward. Bake at once in hot gem-cups. 
This cake can be varied by different flavoring, or by adding 
currants or raisins. It can be baked in layers if shallow 
sheet-iron pans are used and previously heated. 

GRAINS AND MUSHES. 

The grains, rice, barley, oatmeal, and the various 
preparations of corn and wheat are among the most 
nutritious articles of diet. Of the combined nutri¬ 
tive elements, they contain, according to the best au¬ 
thorities on foods, more than double the amount to 
be found in the same quantity of beef, mutton, or 
poultry. In the proper proportion of food elements 





24 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


necessary to meet the requirements of the system, 
which scientific investigation has shown to be about 
one part albumen to seven of carbonaceous elements, 
they approach more nearly the given standard than 
most other foods ; indeed, wheat contains exactly the 
correct proportion of the food elements. Being thus, 
in themselves, so nearly perfect foods, and wTien well 
prepared, exceedingly palatable, they are the cheap¬ 
est and most wholesome articles of diet. 

The only objection to be urged against their use 
is that they are not always thoroughly cooked, and 
are apt to be eaten without any attempt at mastica¬ 
tion, which renders digestion difficult and often im¬ 
perfect. Being soft and already in fine particles, 
mastication is not necessary to render the mouthful 
fit for swallowing; but the simple breaking up of 
food is not the only necessity for mastication. It is 
especially important that every particle of food en¬ 
tering the stomach should be thoroughly mixed with 
the saliva, the first of the digestive juices, which, by 
its action, converts the starchy portion into sugar, 
and also stimulates the secretion of the gastric juice 
when taken into the stomach. If the food, then, is 
imperfectly salivated, the first process of digestion 
is imperfect, and, in consequence, the stomach diges¬ 
tion will also be imperfect. This difficulty is easily 
obviated by eating slowly, or by using some dry food 
with the small grains, which will necessitate a thor¬ 
ough mastication. 

Grains and their preparations are usually served 
in the form of mushes or puddings, and too often in 
an under-done state. Grains and mushes of all kinds 




GRAINS AND MUSHES. 


25 


require several hours’ cooking, and slow cooking is 
always preferable. Soft water is preferable to kaid 
in their preparation ; and if salt is to be used at all, 
it should be added to the water before stirring in the 
grain or meal. The most convenient utensil for 
cooking either grains or meals is a double boiler, con¬ 
sisting of one vessel set inside another, the innci one 
containing the grain, the outer one filled with boiling 
water. An ordinary bowl-shaped iron kettle will, 
however, do very well, if smooth, and by greasing 
the inside with a little butter or oil before putting in 
the water, the tendency of the mush or grain to ad¬ 
here to the kettle will be greatly obviated. 

If one does not possess a double boiler, a very fail 
substitute may be improvised by using a covered tin 
pail for the grain, and hanging it in a kettle of boil¬ 
ing water by means of a stick laid across the top of 
the kettle. A weight may be laid on the top of the 
pail to keep it upright, and care must be taken that 
the water does not come up high enough to boil into 
the grain, although there should be sufficient to cover 
the pail to the depth of the grain on the inside. A 
covered pail set in a pan of boiling water will also do 

very well for a double boiler. 

The water in the outer boiler should be kept at a 
steady boiling heat; and if it becomes low, should be 
replenished with boiling water, never with cold, as 
that will check the cooking of the grain, and tend to 
make it water-soaked. The water should never be 
allowed to dry entirely out of the vessel, or the grain 
will burn on the bottom. 

After the grain or meal has set, or become thick- 




26 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


ened and ceased to settle to the bottom, it should be 
stirred but very little or none at all. Much stirring 
breaks up the particles, and frees the starchy portion, 
thus rendering the food pasty, and much more liable 
to stick to the bottom of the cooking utensil. 

All grains and meals should be put into boiling 
water, and allowed to boil hard until they set, or 
cease sinking to the bottom ; and till then should be 
stirred constantly, lest they burn on the bottom of 
the dish. If the double boiler is used, allow the 
grain to boil in the inner cup standing on the stove 
until it sets, then cover, and place in the outer boiler, 
the water in which must also be boiling in order that 
the cooking process be not' checked, and leave to 
cook slowly until done. If it is desired to have the 
grain dry, leave the cover off for the last half hour 
of the cooking. If a kettle is used for the cooking, 
as soon as the grain has thickened, set it on the back 
of the stove w T here it can only simmer, cover closely, 
and leave till done. 

The following recipes give the amount of water 
and the approximate length of time required for 
cooking some of the various grain products :— 

Pearl Wheat.— Put half a pint of pearl wheat to soak 
over night in a quart of soft water. In the morning, drain 
off the water into the inner cup of a double boiler, and heat 
it to boiling temperature, then add the wheat slowly so as 
not to stop the boiling. Let the wheat boil rapidly ten or 
fifteen minutes, stirring often ; then place with the same, 
in the outer cup, the water in which should be boiling, and 
leave it to steam about three hours. Remove the cover the 
last twenty or thirty minutes of the cooking. Pearl wheat 
may be cooked in the same manner and quantity of w r ater 
without soaking, but must be steamed a longer time by one- 
third, and the grains are more apt to be crushed and pasty 
from long-continued cooking. 



GRAINS AND MUSHES. 


27 


Crushed Wheat. —Crushed or cracked wheat may be 
cooked in the same manner as pearl wheat by using four 
and one-lialf parts of w^ater to one of grain. The length of 
time required to thoroughly cook it is about the same as for 
pearl wheat. If either the cracked or pearl wheat is desired 
for breakfast, it should be cooked the afternoon previous. 
In the morning, warm it by putting it into the inner cup of 
the double boiler, and placing that in the outer boiler of 
boiling water, where it will warm in a short time. Very 
little stirring will be required, and the grain will be as nice 
when thoroughly warmed as when first cooked. If the 
double boiler is porcelain lined, or of pure granite ware, the 
grain can be cooked and left in it over night. 

Cracked Wheat Dessert — Cracked wheat, cooked ac¬ 
cording to the foregoing recipe, and turned into molds till 
cold, makes a very palatable dessert, and may be seived 
with sugar and cream or w r ith fruit juice. Bits of jelly 
placed on top of the molds in stars or crosses, give it a very 
pleasing appearance. The same is very nice served with 
fresh berries in their season. 

Cracked Wheat Pudding.—A very simple pudding may 
be made with two cups of cold, well-cooked cracked wheat, 
two and a half cups of milk, and one-half cup of sugai. 
Let the wheat soak in the milk till thoroughly mixed and 
free from lumps, then add the sugar and a little grated 
lemon peel, and bake about three-fourths of an hour 
in a moderate oven. If the oven is very slow, a lon¬ 
ger time will be required. The pudding should be of a 
creamy consistency when cold, but will appeal quite thin 
when taken from the oven. It is best served cold. By fla¬ 
voring the milk with cocoa-nut, a quite different pudding 
may be produced. Pearl wheat is quite as good for this 
pudding, and many prefer it. 

Pearl Barley. —Pearl barley may be steamed the same as 
pearl wheat. It’should be soaked over night. Most peo¬ 
ple, however, prefer that it should be cooked in fiesli water 
instead of that used to soak it in, as in the case of peail 
wheat. Three parts water to one of barley should be used, 
and a half hour’s more steaming than for pearl wheat, is ic- 

quired. 

Baked Barley. —Soak six tablespoonfuls of barley over 
night in cold water. In the morning, turn off the water. 


t 




28 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


and put the barley in an earthen pudding dish, and pour 
three and one-half pints of boiling water over it; add salt if 
desired, and bake in a moderately quick oven about two and 
a half hours, or till perfectly soft, and all the water is ab¬ 
sorbed. When about half done, add four or five table¬ 
spoonfuls of sugar mixed with grated lemon peel. This 
may be eaten warm, but is very nice poured into cups, and 
molded to be served cold with cream. 

Rice.—Rice requires a much less time for cooking than 
most other grains. A very good way to cook it, when one 
does not possess a double boiler, is to soak a cupful in a cup 
and a half of warm water for an hour, then add a cup and a 
half of milk to the rice and water, turn all into an earthen 
dish, and set into a covered steamer over a kettle of boiling 
water, and steam for an hour. It should be stirred with a 
fork occasionally, for the first ten or fifteen minutes. (Let 
us here remark that a silver fork is also much better for stir¬ 
ring wheat and barley than a spoon.) 

if the double boiler is used to cook rice in, the soaking may 
maybe dispensed with. The same proportions should be used; 
viz., one cup of rice to three of water. After being carefully 
picked over and washed, put the rice into the water, which 
should be boiling, and let it boil rapidly, stirring frequently, 
for ten or fifteen minutes, till the rice has well swelled; then 
place in the outer boiler, and steam uncovered, without stir¬ 
ring, till tender. 

Cooked by either of the above methods, rice will be white 
and dry, with each grain separate and distinct, though soft 
and tender. 

Rice may be cooked just as nicely in an ordinary stew- 
pan, but requires much more care to keep it from adher¬ 
ing to the bottom of the pan. The same quantity of wa¬ 
ter, or of water and milk, should be used. The rice should 
be allowed to cook rapidly until well swelled, when it 
must be placed where it can only simmer till tender, and 
the water is absorbed. 

If it is desired to cook rice very quickly, the best method 
is to put a cupful into five times as much boiling water, and 
boil rapidly twenty or thirty minutes till tender. Turn all 
into a colander, and thoroughly drain the rice, then place it 
in a dish in a warm oven, where it will keep hot, and dry 
off. Picking and lifting occasionally with a fork will make 
it more flaky and dry. 


« 




LEGUMINOUS SEEDS. 


29 


Oatmeal. —Wet one cup of coarse oatmeal with water just 
sufficient to moisten it, and pour over it a quart of boiling 
water. Turn into the inner cup of a double boiler, and boil 
rapidly, stirring continuously, until it sets ; then place the 
cup in the outer boiler, and cook three hours longer. 

Farina. —Put one pint of milk and one of water, or, if 
preferred, a quart of milk, to boil in the inner cup of a 
double boiler; add salt if desired; and when boiling, stir in 
hve tablespoonfuls of farina, wet with just enough milk to 
moisten it. Let it boil rapidly until well set, which will be 
in about five or eight minutes; put into the outer boiler, and 
steam an hour It may be eaten hot or cold as preferred. 

Molded Farina. —A very nice and simple dessert may be 
made of farina by cooking in the same manner as described, 
using a little cream instead of milk to moisten the farina, and 
adding about four tablespoonfuls of sugar at the same time 
with the farina. When done, turn into cups previously wet 
with a little cold water, and let cool. Turn from the mold 
when cold, and serve with whipped cream flavored with 
vanilla or lemon. 

Graham Grits. —This is a granulated meal, a little finer 
than farina, which as yet is quite new in the market. AV a 
know of but one place where it is manufactured, but it can 
be obtained from the Sanitarium Food Co. It is the mate¬ 
rial par excellence for mushes. For its preparation, use a 
teacupful of grits to the quart of boiling water; pour the 
grits slowly into the water, stirring it rapidly with a spoon 
or spatula that no lumps be formed; or, if preferred, a tea¬ 
cup of water may be retained, and the grits mixed with it to 
a paste, before putting into the boiling water. Boil rapidly 
with continuous stirring until well thickened, then place in 
the outer boiler to steam two or three hours. 

Beaten biscuits made of graham grits according to the 
recipe already given are very nice. 

LEGUMINOUS SEEDS. 

This group of foods, which includes peas, beans, 
and 1 entiles, is usually classed among vegetables, but 
in composition they differ greatly from other veg¬ 
etable foods, being characterized by a much larger 
proportion of nitrogenous elements, by virtue of 



30 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


which they possess a much higher nutritive value. 
Indeed, when mature, they contain a larger propor¬ 
tion of nitrogenous matter than any other foods, 
either animal or vegetable, although in their com¬ 
bined nutritive elements they do not exceed the 
grains. On account of the excess of nitrogenous ele¬ 
ments in their composition, they are well adapted as 
a substitute for animal foods, and for use in associa¬ 
tion with articles in which starch is the predominat¬ 
ing principle. 

The leguminous seeds, when mature and dried, all 
require prolonged cooking to render them tender 
and digestible ; when young, they are easily cooked, 
but are, like other vegetables, less nourishing. All 
the legumes are excellent for use in the preparation 
of soups, recipes for which were given on pages 
2-8 ; but there are many other wholesome and pal¬ 
atable ways of preparing them for the table, which 
are a great convenience to the housewife at this sea¬ 
son of the year, during the interval between the 
exhausted supply of winter vegetables, and the 
appearance of the early summer varieties. The fol¬ 
lowing are a few of the recipes we have found most 
appetizing:— 

Mashed Peas. —Soak a quart of dried peas over night in 
cold water. In the morning put them to cook in boiling 
Water, and boil till perfectly tender, allowing them to sim¬ 
mer gently toward the last, so they may cook as dry as pos¬ 
sible. Rub them through a colander to remove the skins, 
and season with salt and half a cup of sweet cream. 

Scalloped Beans. —Soak a pint of white beans over night; 
in the morning put into an earthen baking dish, cover well 
with new milk, and bake in a slow oven for eight or nine 
hours, refilling the dish with milk as it boils away, and tak- 



LEGUMINOUS SEEDS. 


31 


ing care that the beans do not at any time get dry enough 
to brown over the top till they are tender. When nearly 
done, add salt to taste, and a half cup of cream. They may 
be allowed to bake till the milk is quite absorbed, and the 
beans dry, or may be served when rich with juice, accord¬ 
ing to the taste. The beans may be parboiled in water for 
half an hour before beginning to bake, and the length of 
time thereby lessened. They should be well drained before 
adding the milk, however. 

Stewed Beans.— Soak a quart of white beans in water 
over night. In the morning drain off the water, turn boil¬ 
ing water over them an inch deep or more, cover, and place 
in a range where they will only simmer, adding boiling 
water as it is needed. When nearly tender, add salt to 
taste, a tablespoonful of sugar, and half a cup of good sweet 
cream. Cook slowly an hour or more longer, but let them 
be full of juice when taken up, never cooked down dry and 
mealy. 

Mashed Beans.— Look over carefully and soak over 
night in cold water, a quart of nice white beans ; put into 
coTd water, and boil till perfectly tender, and the water 
nearly evaporated. Take up, mash through a colandei 
to remove the skins, season with salt, put in a shallow pud¬ 
ding dish, and brown in the oven. 

Baked Beans.— Pick over, and soak over night in cold 
water a quart of best beans. Put them to cook in fresh 
water, and simmer gently till very soft and the skins broken. 
Let them be quite juicy when taken from the pot. feeason 
with salt and a teaspoonful of molasses. Put them in a 
deep crock, and place in a slow oven. Let them bake two 
or three hours, or until they assume a reddish brown tinge, 
addin" boiling water occasionally to prevent their becoming 
dry. °Turn into a shallow dish, and brown nicely before 
sending to the table. 

Stewed Lima Beans— Put the beans into boiling water, 
and cook until tender, but not till they fall to pieces. I he 
length of time required will depend upon whether the beans 
are'fresh or dry. Fresh beans should cook an hour or more, 
and dry ones require from two to three hours’ cooking. 
Thev are much better to simmer slowly than to boil hard 
durin" the latter part of the time. They should be cooked 
nearly dry, and .a cup of thin cream to each pint of beans. 



32 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


added. Season with salt, and let them simmer for a few 
minutes after the cream is turned in. Should it happen 
that the beans become tender before the water is sufficiently 
evaporated, do not drain olf the water, but add a little 
thicker cream, and thicken the whole with a little flour, 
stirred in as for white sauce. A little flour stirred in with 
the cream, even when the water is nearly evaporated, may 
be preferred by some. 

Succotash. —Boil one part dry Lima beans and two parts 
dried sweet-corn separately until both are nearly tender. 
Put them together, and simmer gently till done. Season 
with salt and sweet cream. Fresh corn and beans may be 
combined in the same proportions, but as the beans will be 
likely to require the most time for cooking, they should be 
put to boil first, and the corn added when the beans are 
about half done, unless it is exceptionally hard, in which 
case it must be added sooner. 

Stewed Dried Peas. —If the peas were gathered and 
dried while young and tender, put them into cold water, 
and let them just come to the boiling point, but not boil. 
Keep them on the range where they will just simmer, not 
bubble at all, till they are tender. Season with salt and a 
little sweet cream. They will be quite as nice as fresh 
green peas. More mature peas may be cooked in the same 
way, though it will require a longer time, but the flavor is 
much finer than when boiled in the ordinary way. 

Stewed Green Peas. —Shell and look over carefully a 
quart of fresh peas, being careful not to get any dirt in 
them, as they are better not to be washed ; add to them a 
cupful of boiling water, cover closely, and simmer gently 
until very tender, by which time the water will be nearly 
evaporated ; season with salt and enough sweet cream to 
make them as juicy as desired ; simmer together for a few 
moments, and serve. 

Baked Beans ITo. 2. —Soak a quart of white beans over 
night. In the morning boil till the skins begin to crack. 
Turn off the water, and add a half cup of sweet cream, and 
salt if desired. Place in a deep earthern dish, cover with 
boiling water about an inch above them, and bake till the 
water is level with the beans. 

Lentils. —These legumes are somewhat superior in point 
of nutritive value to either peas or beans The skin, how- 



VEGETABLES. 


33 


ever, is tough and indigestible and the seeds being so much 
smaller than peas, when served without rejecting the skins, 
they appear to be almost wholly tough, fibrous material, 
and hence they are of little value except for soup, for which 
purpose they are most excellent. 

Lentils are prepared and cooked in the same manner as 
dried peas, though they usually require somewhat less time 
for cooking. Lentils well cooked, and rubbed through a 
colander and seasoned, are sometimes used with toast, and 
make a very palatable dish. (See recipe on page GO.) 

VEGETABLES. 

Food, in order to perfectly supply the needs of the 
vital economy, must contain a certain amount of fluid 
matter, as well as nutritive elements; and while the 
vegetables are generally lacking in a high percent¬ 
age of nutritive material, they are dietetically of great 
value, because they furnish a large amount of organic 
fluids. They are also of much use to the system in 
supplying bulk to our food, which is a matter of no 
little importance. However, an exclusive diet of 
vegetables would give too great a bulk of food, and 
at the same time fail to supply the proper amount of 
nutrition; hence, the only wise arrangement is to use 
them in combination with such other articles ot diet 
—grains, whole-wheat bread, etc.—as shall supple¬ 
ment the qualities lacking in the vegetables. 

Vegetables admit of a variety of methods in their 
preparation for the table, and are usually considered 
as requiring the least culinary skill of any article of 
diet. This we believe to be a great mistake, though 
the processes generally employed for rendering vege¬ 
tables palatable are very simple, yet a great many 
cooks convert some of the most nutritious of them 
into dishes almost worthless as food, and next to im- 



34 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


possible of digestion, either from a lack of knowledge 
respecting the nature and composition of vegeta¬ 
bles, or because of ignorance as to their dietetic value, 
and the constituents of true food. 

A general rule, applicable to all vegetables to be 
prepared by boiling or stewing, is to cook them in 
just as little water as possible, so that there will be 
left little or none to drain off, when the food is suffi¬ 
ciently tender. The nutrient juices of the vegetable 
are lost in the water in which it is cooked; and if the 
quantity of water used is considerable, the amount of 
nutriment thus wasted often amounts to almost the 
entire nutritive value of the vegetable, so that many 
cooks throw away in the water the real richness of 
the food, while they serve the “ husks” only on the 
family table. Condiments and seasonings may per¬ 
haps cover up the insipid taste, but they cannot sup¬ 
ply the lost nutriment. In boiling vegetables, the 
process of cooking should be continuous, and gentle 
heat is best. Remember that when water is boiling, 
it cannot be rendered any hotter, no matter how 
much the fire may be urged. Keep the cooking 
utensil closely covered during the boiling. If any 
water need be added during the cooking, let it al¬ 
ways be boilmg hot. Let the vegetables cook till just 
done, no longer, and do not scorch in finishing. A 
scorched vegetable has forever lost its sweetness and 
savor. 

Unless the greatest care is observed to cook vege¬ 
tables in such a quantity of water as shall preserve 
most of their juices intact, steaming or baking is pref¬ 
erable for most of them; because their fine flavors are 



VEGETABLES. 


35 


more easily retained, and because their food value 
suffers less diminution. 

% 

In preparing potatoes and similar tubers, it should 
be known that the most nutritious part of the vege¬ 
table lies next the outer covering, and consequently 
much care should be taken to pare very thinly, that 
as little as possible of this best portion be wasted. 

All vegetables are best cooked in soft or filtered 
water, and they should be put in at the first boil of 
the water. Water that has boiled long has lost much 
of its goodness. 

The length of time required for cooking will de¬ 
pend much upon the age and freshness of the vege¬ 
table. 

Creamed Potatoes.— Take small, new potatoes, wash 
well; taking each one in a coarse cloth, rub off all the skin; 
cut in halves only, unless quite large, when they should be 
quartered. Put a pint of divided potatoes into a broad bot¬ 
tomed, shallow sauce-pan, pour over them a cup of thin 
sweet cream, add salt if desired. Heat just to the boiling 
point, then only allow them to simmer gently till perfectly 
tender, tossing them occasionally in the stew-pan to prevent 
their burning on the bottom. Serve hot. 

Scalloped Potatoes— Pare the potatoes, and slice thin; 
put them into an earthen pudding dish, dredged very lightly 
with flour, add salt, and pour over just enough good rich 
milk to cover them. Fit a cover over the dish, and bake in 
the oven till the potatoes are tender, removing the cover 
-just Ion 0- enough before the potatoes are done to brown 
them nicely over the top. If preferred, a little less milk 
may be used, and a cup of thin cream added when the pota¬ 
toes are nearly done. 

Mashed Potatoes —Peel and slice two quarts of pota¬ 
toes, and drop into boiling water. When tender, drain, 
add salt to taste, turn into an earthen dish, and set in the 
oven for a few moments to dry. Break up the potatoes 
with a silver fork, add nearly a cup of cream, and beat hard 



36 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


five minutes or more with the fork, till light and creamy. 
Serve at once, or they will become heavy. 

Asparagus with Cream Sauce. —Put the asparagus into 
cold water for an hour before boiling. Then tie in small 
hunches with a soft tape, and throw into boiling water. 
Boil till perfectly tender, which will take about thirty min¬ 
utes if the stalks are of ordinary size. Drain thoroughly, 
untie the hunches, place the stalks all the same way upon a 
hot plate, and send to the table at once, to be served with 
a dressing prepared as follows: Let a pint of thin, sweet 
cream (that about six hours old is preferable), come just to 
the boiling point, and stir into it salt to taste, and a level 
tablespoonful of flour braided with a little of the cream. 
Boil till the flour is perfectly cooked, and then strain 
through a fine wire strainer. 

Asparagus on Toast. —Prepare the asparagus as for the 
preceding, and when tender, drain and place on slices of 
nicely-browned toast moistened in the asparagus liquor, and 
turn over all a cream sauce prepared as above.- 

Asparagus with Egg Sauce. —Prepare and tie the as¬ 
paragus into bunches, and drop it in at the first boil of the 
water, which may be slightly salted. When tender, drain 
thoroughly, and serve on a hot dish, or on slices of nicely 
browned toast, with a sauce prepared in the following man¬ 
ner: Heat a half-cup of cream to boiling, add salt, and turn 
into it very gradually, stirring constantly at the same time, 
the well-beaten yolk of an egg. Let the whole just thicken, 
and remove from the fire at once. 

Stewed Cabbage. —Chop nice cabbage quite fine, and 
put it into boiling water. Let it boil twenty minutes. Turn 
into a colander, and drain thoroughly. Return to the ket¬ 
tle, cover with milk, and let it boil till perfectly tender. 
Add salt if desired, and season to taste with cream. 

Cabbage Salad. —Take one pint of finely chopped cab¬ 
bage, turn over it a dressing made of three tablespoonfuls 
of lemon juice, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a half-cup 
of whipped cream, thoroughly beaten together. 

Cabbage Hash. —Chop fine equal parts of cold boiled po¬ 
tatoes and boiled cabbage, salt to taste. To each quart of the 
mixture add one-half or three-fourths of a cup of cream. 
Mix well, and boil all together for a few minutes till well 
heated. 



VEGETABLES. 


37 


\ 


Scalloped Vegetable Oysters. —Boil two quarts of sliced 
oysters, well washed and scraped, in two quarts of water 
until very tender. If desired to give an especial oyster 
flavor, boil a piece of salt codfish about two inches square 
with the oysters, and remove it "when they are done. Skim 
out the oysters when tender, and put a layer of them in the 
bottom of a pudding dish, and cover with a layer of bread 
crumbs; then add another layer of oysters. Fill the dish 
with alternate layers of oysters and bread crumbs, having a 
layer of crumbs for the top. To the water in which the 
oysters were boiled add a pint and a half of thin cream, salt 
to taste, boil up, and thicken with a heaping tablespoonful 
or two of flour rubbed smooth in a little cream Turn this 
over the oysters and crumbs, and bake a half-hour. If 
there is not enough juice thus prepared to cover all well, 
add more cream or milk. Stewed tomatoes is a very nice 
accompaniment for scalloped vegetable oysters. 

Stewed Corn and Tomatoes. —Boil dried or fresh corn 
until perfectly tender, add to each cup of corn two cups of 
stewed, strained tomatoes, either canned or freshly cooked. 
Salt to taste, boil together for five or ten minutes, and serve 
either plain or with a little cream added. 

Parsnips with Egg Sauce.—Scrape, wash, and slice 
thinly, enough parsnips for three pints. Either steam or 
boil them until very tender. If boiled, when tender, turn 
into a colander and drain well. Have ready an egg sauce 
prepared in the following manner: Heat a pint of very rich 
milk, or thin cream, to boiling, and stir into it a level table¬ 
spoonful of flour, rubbed smooth with a little milk. Let 
this boil a few minutes, stirring constantly until the flour is 
well cooked and the sauce thickened; then add the well- 
beaten yolk of one egg, turning the egg in slowly, and stir¬ 
ring rapidly so that it shall be well mingled with the whole; 
add salt to taste; let it boil up once only, turn over the 
parsnips, and serve at once. The sauce should be of the 
consistency of thick cream. 

Carrots with Egg Sauce—Wash and scrape the carrots 
well. Slice and throw into salted boiling water. When 
tender, drain thoroughly, and pour over them a sauce pre¬ 
pared the same as for parsnips, with the addition of a table¬ 
spoonful of sugar. Let them boil up once, and serve. 

Baked Parsnips— Wash thoroughly, but do not scrape 



38 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


the roots. Bake the same as potatoes. When tender, re¬ 
move the skins, slice, and serve with egg sauce or cream. 
They are also very nice mashed and seasoned with cream. 
Baked and steamed parsnips are far sweeter than when 
boiled. 

Parsnips with Cream Sauce. —Bake the parsnips as in 

the foregoing recipe. When tender, slice and turn over 
them a cream sauce, made according to the recipe given for 
asparagus with cream sauce. Let all boil up together once, 
and serve. 

Mashed Parsnips. —Scrape the parsnips, and put at once 
into cold water to prevent discoloration. Slice them into 
quite thin pieces, and steam in a steamer over a kettle of 
boiling water until very tender. When done, mash very 
thoroughly, add salt to taste, and a few spoonfuls of thick, 
sweet cream, and serve. 

Beets. —Wash clean, and boil until tender, skin and slice 
them, and serve hot with lemon juice poured over them. 

Baked Beets.— Beets are far better baked than boiled, 
though they require a long time to bake properly. French 
cooks bake them slowly six hours in a covered dish the bot¬ 
tom of which is covered with well-moistened rye straw. 
They are very nice served with a sauce made with equal 
quantities of lemon juice and whipped cream, and a little 
salt. 

Beet Salad. —Cold boiled or baked beets chopped fine 
make a nice salad when served with a dressing of lemon 
juice and whipped cream. 

SIMPLE PUDDINGS. 

Custom has so long since established the usage of 
finishing the meal with a dessert of some kind, that 
our dinner would be quite incomplete, in the eyes 
of culinary critics, did we omit this item from our 
list; and so we shall devote the next two or three 
courses to the various articles which are usually 
deemed appropriate desserts, not because we consider 
the dessert itself of paramount importance, but be- 



SIMPLE PUDDINGS. 


39 


cause we hope the hints and suggestions which our 
space will permit us to give may be of some assist¬ 
ance to the housewife in preparing wholesome, inex¬ 
pensive dishes in lieu of the indigestible viands al¬ 
most universally used for this purpose. 

We see no objection to the use of a dessert if the 
articles offered are of a simple, wholesome character, 
and are presented before an abundance has already 
been taken. As generally served, the dessert is but 
a “snare and delusion” to the digestive organs; 
compounded of substances “ rich,” not in food ele¬ 
ments, but in fats, sweets, and spices; and presented 
in addition to the meal when enough has already 
been eaten, they become a great temptation to over¬ 
eat, while the elements of which they are largely 
composed serve to clog the liver, and work general 
mischief to the system. At the same time their 
preparation requires an outlay of time and strength 
better, by far, expended in some other manner, and 
quite unnecessary in the preparation of a good, 
healthful, nutritious dietary. 

The various nuts and delicious fruits with which 
nature has so abundantly supplied us, furnish a most 
desirable dessert, with no expenditure of time or 
strength in their preparation, and at no greater cost 
than their more harmful substitutes; but if other 
forms of dessert are desired, they can be prepared in 
a pleasing and appetizing manner from wholesome 
material. We present below a few recipes for simple 
puddings, inexpensive and easily made. 

Strawberry and Rice Dessert. Soak a cupful of well- 
picked rice in one and a half cups of warm water for one 



40 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


hour, then add to it one and a half cups of new milk ; place 
all in an earthen dish, and set in a covered steamer over a 
kettle of boiling water. Steam for one hour, or until dry 
and tender, stirring occasionally with a silver fork for the 
first fifteen minutes. When the rice is done, place in the 
bottom of some cups previously moistened with cold water, 
five nice, hulled strawberries in the shape of a star. • Fill 
the interstices between the berries carefully with the boiled 
rice, and then cover the berries with a layer of rice. Add 
next a layer of strawberries and then another layer of rice. 
Press it firmly into the cup and set away to cool. When 
well molded, turn into saucers, and pile whipped cream 
around each ; sprinkle with sugar and serve. A little care 
in forming the stars and filling the molds make this a de¬ 
licious and pretty dessert. If preferred, the dessert may be 
prepared in one large mold, and a larger number of straw¬ 
berries arranged in the form of a cross in the bottom of the 
dish, covering with rice, and adding as many alternate lay¬ 
ers of strawberries and rice as desired. 

Steamed Fig Pudding. —Moisten two cupfuls of finely 
grated graham bread crumbs with half a cup of thin, sweet 
cream. Mix into it a heaping cupful of finely-chopped fresh 
figs, and a quarter of a cup of sugar. Add lastly a cup of 
sweet milk. Turn all into a pudding dish, and steam about 
two and a half hours over a kettle of boiling water. Serve 
as soon as done with a little cream for dressing. Care must 
be taken that the process of steaming is not interrupted in 
any way. Do not allow the fire to slacken, and on no ac¬ 
count replenish the water with anything but that of a boiling 
temperature. Do not open the steamer, and let the cold air 
on the top of the pudding, if you wish it to be a success. 

May Pudding. —One pint of well-steamed pearl barley, 
two cups of finely-chopped best figs, one-half cup of sugar, 
one-half cup of nice, sweet cream, and one and one-half 
cups of fresh milk. Mix all together thoroughly, turn into 
an earthen pudding dish, place the dish in the oven in a pan 
half full of boiling water, and bake slowly till the milk is 
nearly absorbed. The pudding should be stirred once or 
twice during the baking so that the figs will be distributed 
equally through the pudding, instead of rising to the top. 
The pudding, when done, should be moist and homogene¬ 
ous. It requires no dressing. 



SIMPLE PUDDINGS. 


41 


Rice and Fig Dessert. —Steam a cupful of best rice in 
two cups of milk and one of water until perfectly tender 
and dry. Have ready a cup of chopped figs, which have 
been stewed in a pint of water, to which was added one 
tablespoonful of sugar, until they are one homogeneous 
mass. Arrange the rice on a hot dish, place the stewed figs 
in the center, and serve hot with cream or without dressing. 

Sago Pudding. —Soak a cupful of sago for twenty min¬ 
utes in a cup of cold water; then turn over it a quart and a 
cupful of boiling water, and add a cup of sugar and one- 
half cup of raisins. Cook till the sago is perfectly transpar¬ 
ent, flavor with vanilla, and set away to cool. Serve with 
whipped cream. 

Farina Blanc Mange.—Heat a quart of milk, reserving 
one-half cupful, to boiling. When boiling, add a little salt, 
two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and four heaping tablespoon¬ 
fuls of farina, previously moistened with the reserved half 
cup of milk. Let all boil rapidly for a few minutes, till the 
farina has well set, then place in a double boiler, or a dish 
set in a pan of boiling water, to cook an hour longer. Turn 
into cups previously wet with cold water to cool. Serve 
with sugar and cream, flavored with vanilla or a little grated 
lemon rind. Much variety may be given this simple dessert 
by serving it with a dressing of fruit juices. Red raspberry, 
strawberry, grape, currant, cranberry, cherry, and plum are 
all very good. If desired, the milk with which the blanc 
mange is prepared may be first flavored with cocoanut, thus 
making another variety. 

Apple Tart. —Pdre and slice some quick cooking, tart 
apples, and place them in the bottom of a pudding dish with 
a tablespoonful of water. Cover with a crust prepared in 
the following manner : Into a cup of thin cream stir a gill 
of yeast and two cups of flour ; let this become very light, 
and then add sufficient flour to mix soft. Knead for fifteen 
or twenty minutes very thoroughly, roll evenly, and cover 
the apples ; put all in a warm place until the crust has be¬ 
come very light, then bake. If the apples do not bake 
easily, they may be partially cooked before putting on the 
crust. Dish so that the fruit will be uppermost, and serve 
with cream and sugar. 

Gooseberry Tart.— Fill a pudding dish with well pre¬ 
pared green gooseberries, adding a tablespoonful or two of 



42 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


water. Cover with a crust as for apple tart, and when light, 
bake in a moderately quick oven. Cut the crust into the 
required number of pieces, and dish with gooseberries 
heaped on top. Serve with sugar and cream. 

Cherry Tart. —Prepare the same as for apple tart, with 
seeded cherries, only omitting the water, as the cherries will 
be sufficiently juicy of themselves. If the fruit is very 
juicy, sprinkle a tablespoonful of flour over it before put- 
ting on the crust. Plum and peach tart may be made in the 
same manner, and are both very nice. 

Prune and Tapioca Pudding. —Soak one-half cup of 
tapioca over night. In the morning boil until transparent 
in just sufficient water to cook it and prevent burning. 
Stew two cups of well-washed prunes in a quart of water 
•till perfectly tender, then add the juice of a good lemon, 
and two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and boil till the syrup, of 
which there should remain but a spoonful or two, becomes 
thick and rich. Turn the prunes into a pudding dish, and 
cover with cooked tapioca, with which should be mixed a 
little grated lemon rind. Bake lightly in the oven. Serve 
without dressing, or with sugar and cream. 

Stewed Fruit Pudding. —Canned fruit, whortleberries, 
strawberries, plums, cherries, or raspberries are best for this 
pudding. Sweeten the fruit to taste, and heat to boiling. 
Have some pieces of whole-wheat or graham bread cut in 
slices an inch thick, and wide and long enough to fit around 
in the bottom of a pudding dish, in the form of spokes to a 
wheel with an open space between each and in the center. 
Fill up the interstices with the hot fruit, using just as little 
juice as possible. Cover this with another layer of slices of 
bread cut in the same manner, this time placing the strips 
of bread over the fruit in the first layer, and leaving the 
spaces for fruit over the first layer of bread. Fill the inter¬ 
stices with fruit as before. Fill the dish with these layers 
of fruit and bread, and when full, turn the hot juice over 
all. Put a plate or tin with a weight on it on the top to 
press it firmly. Dip off any juice that may be pressed out. 
Set the pudding away in the refrigerator to cool, and press 
until perfectly cold, when it will turn out perfect, and can 
be cut in slices and served with cream. 

Sago Fruit Pudding .—Soak a small cupful of sago an 
hour in just enough water to cover it. Drain off any water 



SIMPLE PUDDINGS. 


43 


that may not be absorbed, mix two-tliirds of a cup of sugar 
with the sago, and stir all into a quart of boiling water. 
Let it boil until the sago is perfectly transparent, and then 
turn into it a pint of nicely-hulled strawberries. Pour into 
molds to cool, or serve warm with cream, as preferred. 
Tapioca can be used instead of sago, but needs longer soak¬ 
ing. Raspberries, seeded cherries, and currants can be used 
in place of strawberries. 

Fruit Corn-Starch Pudding—Heat a quart of straw¬ 
berry, raspberry, or currant juice sweetened to the taste, to 
boiling. If the fresh juice of berries is used, it may be di¬ 
luted with one cup of water to each pint and a half of juice, 
if a sufficient quantity of pure juice cannot be afforded. 
Stir into it four tablespoonfuls of corn starch well braided 
with a little of the juice reserved for this purpose. Boil 
until the starch is well cooked, stirring constantly. Turn 
into molds previously wet with cold water, and cool. This 
makes a very pretty and palatable dessert. 

Picnic Pudding. —Thicken a pint of strawberry or rasp¬ 
berry juice, sweetened to the taste, with two tablespoonfuls 
of corn-starch, as for fruit pudding. Turn into the bottom 
of cups previously wet with cold water or a large mold as 
preferred. Then heat a pint of milk flavored with cocoanut, 
to which a tablespoonful of sugar has been added, and salt 
if desired, to boiling. Stir in two tablespoonfuls of corn 
starch rubbed smooth in a little milk, and cook thoroughly. 
When done, cool a little, and turn into the molds on the top 
of the pink portion, which should be sufficiently cool so that 
it will not mix. A third layer may be added by cooking 
two tablespoonfuls of corn starch and one of sugar, rubbed 
smooth in a little milk, in a pint of boiling milk, and stir¬ 
ring in just as it is taken from the stove the well-beaten 
yolks of two eggs. 

Banana Dessert— Dissolve a half-box of gelatine in a 
half-cup of warm water. Heat three cups of rich milk to 
boiling, and add to it one cup of sugar and the well-dis¬ 
solved gelatine ; boil all together ten or twelve minutes. 
Let it partly cool, and mix in three or four bananas sliced 
thin or chopped fine. Turn all into a mold previously wet 
with cold water, and leave till hardened, which may require 
several hours unless the mold be placed on ice. When 
well molded, turn into a glass dish, and cover with whipped 
^ream flavored with vanilla or lemon, and serve, 



44 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


Cream Rice Pudding;. —One cupful of best rice care¬ 
fully looked over, one cup of sugar, and eight cups of new 
milk, with a little grated lemon rind for flavor. Put all in 
an earthen pudding dish, and place on the top of the range. 
Heat until the milk is boiling hot, stirring frequently, so 
that the rice shall not adhere to the bottom of the dish ; 
then place in the oven, and bake till the rice is tender only, 
which can be ascertained by dipping a spoon into one side 
and taking out a few grains. Do not stir after placing in 
the oven. This pudding is very nice made with one-half 
rice and one-lialf tapioca which has been soaked over night, 
instead of all rice, Cracked wheat steamed and used in the 
proportion of two cups of wheat to two and a half of milk, 
and one-half cup of sugar, also makes a delicious and whole¬ 
some pudding. The milk used may be first flavored with 
cocoanut, according to the recipe given on page 49 if de¬ 
sired. 

PIES AND CAKE. 

So much lias been said and written about the die¬ 
tetic evils of these articles that the very names, cake 
and pie, have almost come to bo regarded as synony¬ 
mous with indigestion and dyspepsia. That they 
are a prolific cause of this dire malady cannot be de¬ 
nied, and it is doubtless due to two reasons : first, be¬ 
cause they are so generally compounded of ingredi¬ 
ents which are in themselves unwholesome, and ren¬ 
dered doubly so by their combination ; and secondly, 
because tastes have become so perverted that an ex¬ 
cess of these delicacies is consumed in preference to 
more simple and nutritious viands. 

We do not wish to be understood as being in sym¬ 
pathy with that class of people who maintain that 
dyspepsia is a disciplinary means of grace, when, after 
having made the previous statement, we proceed to 
present our readers with recipes for preparing the 
very articles we have condemned. Pie and cake need 



PIES AND CAKE. 


45 


not necessarily be utterly unwholesome articles, and 
when prepared in a simple manner, may be partaken 
of in moderation by persons with good digestion, with 
quite as little detriment as many another article of 
food. .Nevertheless, we shall not pretend to claim for 
them the wholesomeness of more simple foods, and 
believe with a lady instructor in cooking, whom we 
met last year at Chautauqua, that if women would sup¬ 
ply their families with perfectly light, sweet, nutritious 
bread and plenty of fruits, the continual demand for 
cakes and pies would cease. However, if pies and 
cakes must needs be, let them be as simple in character 
as possible. We offer the following recipes as sugges¬ 
tions for articles of this class, which, while not to be 
recommended for dyspeptics, can scarcely be con¬ 
demned as unwholesome for persons with average di¬ 
gestive ability:— 

Paste for Pies. —Sift together equal parts of graham 
grits and white flour (graham flour will do if the grits are 
not obtainable, but the grits will produce a more crisp and 
‘tender crust), and wet with very cold, thin sweet cream or 
rich milk. Have the cream and flour both as cold as possi¬ 
ble,—the colder the material the more crisp the paste,—and 
mix together very quickly and lightly into a stiff dough. 
Do not knead at all, but gather the fragments lightly to¬ 
gether, roll out at once, fill and bake as quickly as possible, 
since much of the lightness of the crust depends upon the 
dispatch with which the pie is gotten into the oven after the 
materials for the crust are thrown together. The filling 
should always be in readiness before beginning the prepara¬ 
tion of the crust. If for any reason it is necessary to defer 
the baking after the crust is made, place it at once in the ice 
chest till needed. 

Fruit Pies. —Apples, peaches, and all small fruits and 
berries may be made into simple pies. The objectionable feat¬ 
ures of such pies are usually the rich crust, the excess of 



46 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


sugar used, and the addition of unwholesome spices and fla¬ 
vorings. For fruit pies, prepare a simple crust, fill with the 
fruit, using only sufficient sugar to sweeten the fruit, add no 
spices, and bake quickly. If any flavor other than that of 
the fruit is desired, let it be the flavor of some other fruit; 
strong spices, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, and all-spice, 
form a most unsuitable addition to delicately flavored fruits. 

For apple pies, a teaspoonful or two of pineapple juice, a 
little grated lemon or orange peel, or a little strawffierry or 
quince syrup may be used for flavoring. For pies made 
of apples, peaches, and fruits that are not very juicy, add a 
tablespoonful or so of water or fruit juice ; but for very 
juicy fruits and berries dredge the under crust with a table- 
spoonful of sugar and a little flour mixed together, before 
filling. The heat necessary for baking will cause the flour 
and sugar, which will melt, to adhere together, and thus 
keep the fruit juice from coming in contact with the crust, 
and saturating it. 

Granola Crust. —For pies requiring an under-crust only, 
the prepared granola manufactured by the Sanitarium Food 
Co. makes a superior crust, To prepare, moisten with thin 
sweet cream or rich milk,—one-half cup of cream for every 
two-thirds cup of granola is about the right proportion, and 
will make sufficient crust for one pie. Flour the board 
thickly, and lift the moistened granola on to it, spreading it 
as much as possible with the hands. Dredge flour over the 
top, and roll out gently, without turning, to the required size. 
The material, being coarse and granular, will break apart eas¬ 
ily, but may be as easily pressed together with the fingers. 
Change the position of the rolling pin often in order to shape 
the crust without moving. When well rolled, carefully slip a 
stiff paper under the whole, first loosening from the board 
with a knife if necessary, and lift it gently onto the pan. 
Press together any cracks formed, trim around the edges, 
fill, and bake at once. Use just the least flour possible in 
preparing this crust, and bake as soon as made, before the 
moisture has become absorbed. 

Orange Pie.—Pub smooth a heaping tablespoonful of 
corn starch in three tablespoonfuls of water; turn over it a 
cup of boiling water, and cook until clear, stirring frequently 
that no lumps be formed. Add one cupful of orange juice, 
a little grated rind, and the juice of one lemon, with sugar 
to taste. Lastly, when quite cool, stir in the well-beaten 



PIES AND CAKE. 


47 


yolks of two eggs. Bake with under-crust only. Meringue 
the top when baked, with the whites of the eggs well beaten 
with a tablespoonful of sugar, and a very little grated or¬ 
ange peel sprinkled over it. 

* Lemon Pie. —Take four tablespoonfuls of lemon juice 
(one large one or two small ones will yield about this quan¬ 
tity) and two-thirds of a cup of sugar. Beat lemon juice 
and sugar together. Braid a slightly heaping tablespoonful 
of corn starch with as little water as possible, and pour over 
it, stirring constantly, one-half pint of boiling water—the 
water must be boiling so that it will sufficiently cook the 
starch to prevent it from settling. Add the lemon and sugar 
to the starch, and let it cool, then stir in the yolks of two 
eggs and half the white of one well beaten together. Beat 
the mixture thoroughly, pour into a deep crust, and bake. 
When done, cover with the remaining whites of the eggs, 
beaten with one and a half tablespoonfuls of sugar, and 
brown lightly in the oven. 

Prune Pie. —Wash the prunes thoroughly, and remove 
the stones. Add to them three times as much water as 
prunes, then place them in a porcelain kettle, cover closely, 
and simmer until perfectly tender and the juice thick. 
When cold, rub through a colander. Fill an under-crust 
with the sifted prunes, and bake. This pie requires no 
sugar. The top may be ornamented with strips of crust or 
pastry leaves, or, if desired, may be meringued with the 
whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth with two table- 
spoonfuls of sugar and a little grated lemon peel. 

Fruit Short Cakes.— Beat together one cup of thin 
cream, slightly warmed, a tablespoonful of yeast, and two 
small cups of flour. Set in a warm place till very light. 
Add sufficient warm flour to mix soft. Knead thoroughly for 
lifteen or twenty minutes. Divide into two equal portions, 
and roll into two sheets about one-half inch in thickness, 
making the centers a very little thinner than the outside, 
so that when risen they will not be highest in the center. 
Place in tins, and set in a warm place until perfectly risen, 
or until they have doubled their first thickness. Bake 
quickly. Spread one cake with fruit, and cover with the 
other. If the fruit is large, it may be chopped fine with a 
knife, or mashed with a spoon. 

Plain Buns. —These are the simplest of all cakes. Dis¬ 
solve half a small cake of compressed yeast in a cupful of 




48 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


thin cream which has been previously warmed to blood heat, 
add two cupfuls of warm flour, and beat thoroughly to¬ 
gether. Put in a warm place, and let it rise till very light. 
Add three tablespoonfuls of sugar mixed well with a half 
cup of warm flour, one-half cup of zante currants, and suffi- • 
cient flour to make of the consistency of dough. Buns 
should be kneaded just as soft as possible, and from fifteen 
to twenty minutes. Shape into biscuits a little larger than 
a walnut, place them on tins far enough apart so they will 
not touch each other when risen. Put in a warm place till 
they have risen to twice their first size, then bake in a mod¬ 
erately quick oven. If desired, the currants may be omitted, 
and a little grated lemon rind added for flavoring at the 
same time with the sugar, or a bit of citron may be placed 
in the top of each bun when shaping. When taken from 
the oven, sprinkle the top of each with moist sugar, if de¬ 
sired. 

Delicate Cake.— Beat together the yolk of one egg, one 
cup of sugar, and one cup of thin sweet cream, until all 
of a foam; add a little grated lemon rind for flavoring; stir 
in slowly, beating briskly all the time, two cups of gluten 
flour. This cake contains no soda or baking-powder, and to 
make it light it requires the incorporation of as much air as 
possible. In order to do this, the beating must be continu¬ 
ous (any cessation will be likely to spoil the cake), not stir¬ 
ring round and round, but lifting the spoon in and out 
swiftly so as to make as many bubbles of air as possible. 
When all the flour is added, add lastly the well-beaten 
whites of two eggs, stirring only just sufficiently to mix them 
thoroughly through the whole, no more; turn at once into 
small sheet-iron tins, which have been previously oiled and 
warmed, and bake in a moderately quick oven. This cake, 
if made according to directions, will be very light and deli¬ 
cate. It will not puff up much above its first proportions, 
but will be light throughout. 

A nice cake may be prepared in the same manner with 
common graham or even white flour by the addition of a 
heaping tablespoonful of corn starch sifted into the flour 
in the way in which baking-powder is ordinarily mixed with 
flour before using. This may be baked in a loaf, but is best 
baked in hot gem irons. 

Raised Jelly Cake.— Warm a cup of thin cream to blood 
heat, add one and a half cups of flour, a little salt if desired, 
one-fourth of a cup of sugar, and one-lialf a small cake of 



PIES AND CAKE. 


49 


compressed yeast dissolved in a gill of thin cream, or a gill 
of liquid yeast. Set in a warm place, and let it rise till per¬ 
fectly light. When well risen, add one-half cup of sugar, 
mixed with one-lialf cup of warm flour. Beat well, and set 
in a warm place to rise again. When risen a second time, 
add two eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, and about 
one tablespoonful of flour. Turn the whole into three 
round baking tins which have been previously oiled and 
warmed, and place where it will rise again for an hour or 
until it is all of a foam. Bake quickly in a moderately hot 
oven. Spread with fruit jelly. 

This cake may be varied in innumerable ways. A gold 
and silver cake may be made of it by taking out one-third ot 
it when risen the second time, adding the yolks of the eggs 
to the one-third, and the whites with some pulverized cocoa- 
nut to the other two-thirds. Make two sheets of the white 
and one of the yellow. Allow them to become perfectly 
light before baking. When baked, place the yellow portion 
between the two white sheets, binding them together with 
a little frosting. This cake may be varied also by adding a 
half cup of zante currants to the yellow portion, with the 
yolks of the eggs. 

Apple Cake— Beat together the whites of two eggs, one- 
half cup of sugar, the juice of one lemon, and two large, 
tart apples well grated. Heat in a farina-kettle until all are 
hot. Cool, and spread between layers of raised cake made 
as above. This should be eaten the day it is prepared. 

Cocoanut Custard Cake— Prepare a soft custard by 
heating just to the boiling point one pint of rich milk, pre¬ 
viously flavored with cocoanut. Stir into it a tablespoonful 
of corn starch braided with a little milk, and let it boil until 
thickened. Beat together an egg and one-tliird of a cup of 
su^ar, turn slowly into the hot mixture, and stir constantly 
tilf the whole thickens. Remove from the fire, and when 
cold, spread between layers of raised cake. 

Cocoanut Flavor— Cocoanut, whether fresh grated or 
disiccated, unless in extremely fine particles, is a very mdi- 
o-estilble substance, and it is always better, when its flavor is 
desired for custards, puddings, etc., to steep or simmer a 
few tablespoonfuls of the cocoanut in a pint of milk for 
twenty minutes or a half hour, and then strain out the pai ti¬ 
des. One tablespoonful of freshly-grated cocoanut, or two 




50 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


of desiccated thus steeped, will give a very pleasant and del¬ 
icate flavor to the milk. If a more intense flavor is desired, 
a larger quantity can be used. Allow the milk to just sim¬ 
mer, never to bubble or boil, as it will be likely to curdle. 
Orange and lemon flavor may be obtained by steeping in the 
same way a few pieces of orange or lemon rind in milk. 

FRUIT FOR DESSERTS AND SAUCES. 

Of all the articles which enter the list of desserts, 
none are so wholesome and inexpensive as the lus¬ 
cious fruits with which nature so abundantly provides 
us. Their delicately tinted hues, and perfect outlines 
appeal to our sense of beauty, while their delicious 
flavors gratify our appetites. Our markets are 
bountifully supplied with an almost unlimited variety 
of the fruits of both temperate and tropical climates, 
and one might suppose that they would always ap¬ 
pear upon the daily bill of fare ; yet they are rarely 
found upon the family board in the majority of 
homes. People are inclined to consider fruit, unless 
the product of their own land, a luxury too expen¬ 
sive for common use; w T hile butter, eggs, sugar, and 
other materials for making pies and cakes are from 
long custom deemed a necessity. Many who keep a 
plentiful supply of fruit in store, never think of plac¬ 
ing it upon their tables at meals, but eat it at all 
other times. Fruit is a most healthful article of diet 
when partaken of at seasonable times ; but to eat it, 
or any other substance, between meals, is a gross 
breach of the requirements of good digestion. A 
simple course of fruit is all that is needed after a din¬ 
ner ; and much time, labor, and health will be saved 
when housekeepers shall be content to serve the des¬ 
sert which nature supplies all ready for use, instead 



FRUIT FOR DESSERTS AND SAUCES. 


51 


of those more harmful combinations, in the prepara¬ 
tion of which they spend hours of tedious and tire¬ 
some toil. 

For serving, all fruits should bo sound, and as fresh 
and cool as possible. Fruit that has stood day after 
day in a dish upon the table in a warm room may 
serve for ornament, but it is far less wholesome and 
tempting than that brought fresh from the store¬ 
room or cellar. 

Apples. —In serving these, the “queen of all fruits,” much 
opportunity is afforded for a display of taste in their 
arrangement. They should be first wiped clean with a 
damp towel, and may then be piled in a fruit basket, with a 
few sprigs of green leaves mingled here and there amid their 
rosy cheeks. The feathery green tops of carrots and celery 
are very pretty for this purpose. A combination of oranges 
and apples interspersed with bits of green makes a very 
ornamental dish. 

Peaches and Pears.— Pick out the finest, and wipe the 
wool from the peaches. Edge a plate with uniform sized 
leaves of foliage plant of the same tints as the fruit, and 
pile the fruit artistically upon it, tucking sprays or tips of 
the foliage plant in the interstices between the fruit. Bits 
of ice may also be placed between the fruit to keep it cool. 
Yellow Bartlett pears and rosy-cheeked peaches arranged in 
this way make a most ornamental dish. 

Oranges.— Cut the skins in eighths half way down, sep¬ 
arating it from the fruit, and curling it inward, thus show¬ 
ing half the orange white and the other half yellow ; or cut 
the skins in eighths two-thirds down, and after loosening 
from the fruit, leave them spread open like the petals of a 
lily. 

Peaches and Cream. —Pare the peaches just as late as 
practicable before needed, since they discolor by standing. 
Always use a silver knife for paring, as steel soon blackens 
and discolors them. Do not add the sugar until the time 
for serving, as it will start the juices, and likewise turn them 
brown, and destroy much of their rich flavor. Keep on ice 
after paring until needed for the table. Serve with cream. 



52 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


Grapes. —Grapes from the market are usually so covered 
with dust that they need washing before serving. Drop the 
bunches into ice water, let them remain ten or fifteen min¬ 
utes, then drain and serve. 

Melons. —Watermelons should be served very cold, and 
for this purpose should be kept on ice until needed for the 
table. Cut off a slice at each end, that each half may stand 
upright on the plate, and then cut around in even slices. 
Instead of cutting through the center into even halves, the 
melon may be cut in points back and forth through the 
center around the entire circumference, so that when sep¬ 
arated, each half will appear like a crown. Another very 
pretty way to serve watermelon is to take out the central 
portion with a spoon in cone-shaped pieces, and arrange on 
a plate, with a few bits of ice to keep it cool, if necessary. 
Other melons should be cut in halves, and the seeds removed 
before serving, and a lump of ice placed in each. 

Frosted Fruit. —Prepare a mixture of the frothed -white 
of egg and a very little cold water. Dip nice bunches of 
clean currants, cherries, or grapes into the mixture, drain 
nearly dry, and roll lightly in powered sugar. Lay them on 
white paper to dry. Plums, apricots, and peaches may be 
dipped in the mixture, gently sprinkled with sugar, then 
allowed to dry. 

Baked Apples. —Moderately tart apples, or very juicy 
sweet ones are best for baking. Select good, ripe apples 
free from imperfections, and of nearly equal size. Wipe 
carefully to remove all dirt, and bake. Water sufficient to 
cover the bottom of the baking dish should be added if the 
fruit is not very juicy. S'our apples are excellent pared and 
baked with the centers, from which the core has been re¬ 
moved, filled with sugar mixed with grated lemon rind. 
They should be put into a shallow earthen dish with water 
sufficient to cover the bottom, and baked in a quick oven, 
basting often with the syrup. Baked apples are usually 
served as a relish, but with a dressing of cream they make a 
most delicious dessert. 

Baked Pears. —Hard pears make a nice dessert -when 
baked. Pare, halve, remove seeds, and place in a shallow 
earthen dish, with a cup of water to each two quarts of fruit. 
If the pears are sour, a little sugar may be added. Bake, 
closely covered, in a moderate oven until tender. Serve with 
sugar and cream. 



FRUIT FOR DESSERTS AND SAUCES. 


53 


Stewed Fruit. —The simplest method of cooking fruit is 
stewing. In cooking, always use porcelain or granite-ware 
kettles. Fruit cooked in tin loses much of its delicate flavor ; 
while if the fruit is acid, and the tin is of poor quality, there 
is always a liability of the acid of the fruit acting upon the 
metal and forming a poisonous compound. Use only silver 
knives for preparing the fruit, and silver or wooden spoons 
for stirring if required. Prepare just before cooking if you 
would preserve the fruit perfect in flavor, and unimpaired 
by discoloration. Cook in a small quantity of water, and do 
not add sugar until the fruit is done. Sugar boiled with an 
acid will in a very few minutes be converted into glucose, 
two and one-half pounds of which only equal one pound of 
cane sugar in sweetening properties. It will require more 
than double the amount of sugar to sweeten fruit if added 
before the cooking process is completed, than will be neces¬ 
sary afterward. 

Apple Meringue Dessert. —Prepare and stew some tart 
white apples with half a lemon rind in a very small quantity 
of water until tender. A good way is to use a shallow, 
broad-bottomed stew-pan, on which the apples may be 
spread out over the entire surface, having only one or two 
layers. Add but a small quantity of water, and cover 
closely, that the steam may cook those on top uniformly 
with those at the bottom. Watch closely, that they do not 
burn. When tender, remove the lemon rind, and rub the 
apples through a colander. If juicy, return to the fire, and 
simmer slowly until all the juice is evaporated, or place in a 
moderate oven until the sauce is dry. Sweeten, place in a 
glass dish, and pile a meringue made with the whites of two 
eggs and two tablespoonfuls of sugar over the top. Biown 
slightly in the oven, and ornament with bits of colored jelly 

or sugar. 

Apple Custard— Peel, halve, and core eight or ten me¬ 
dium-sized sour apples. Have prepared a syrup made with 
a teacupful of water, the juice of one lemon, a little grated 
rind, and a half teacup of sugar. When the sugar is dis¬ 
solved, add the fruit, and simmer till tender, but not fallen 
to pieces. Take out the apples with a skimmer, draining 
thoroughly, and lay them in a nice glass dish. Boil up the 
svrup until thick, and pour it over the apples. Make a sott 
custard with a pint of milk, yolks of three eggs, and two 
tablespoonfuls of sugar. When cold, spread over the ap- 



54 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


pies ; whip the whites to a stiff froth, flavor wffth lemon 
rind, and pile irregularly upon the top. Brown lightly in 
the oven. 

Citron Apples. —Select some nice, tart apples of about 
the same degree of hardness, so that they wdll cook alike, 
and dig out the cores. Unless the skins are very tender, it 
is better to remove them also. Stuff the cavities with su¬ 
gar, first placing in each apple a few bits of chopped citron. 
If the skins have been removed, place the stuffed apples 
around on a flat earthen dish, with a tablespoonful of water 
on the bottom; cover closely, and bake till perfectly tender, 
but not till they have fallen to pieces. If the skins are left 
on, they may be baked without covering. When cold, 
serve in separate dishes, with a spoonful or two of whipped 
cream on each apple. 

Lemon Apples. —Prepare nice tart apples the same as for 
citron apples. Fill the cavities made by removing the cores 
with a mixture of grated lemon and sugar, squeeze a few 
drops of lemon juice over each apple, and bake. Serve 
with whipped cream and sugar. 

Canning Fruit. —This is the most efficient means for 
preserving fruit in a wholesome condition ; but in order to 
insure success, two things must be carefully attended to :— 

1. The fruit must be sufficiently cooked. 

2. All air must be excluded, and the can hermetically 
sealed. 

The best fruit should be selected, and that 'which is not 
overripe. It should be kept as clean as possible, so that 
little or no washing will be required, as this is injurious to 
many fruits. Pick over carefully, and wash quickly, if 
washing is necessary. Either steam or stew, adding as lit¬ 
tle water as possible, and as little sugar as will suffice to 
make the sauce palatable. 

While the fruit is cooking, prepare the cans in which it is 
to be placed. Thoroughly scald them that there may be 
in them nothing which will induce decay. To prevent 
breaking when the hot fruit is placed in the can, it may be 
heated by pouring into it hot water, and quickly shaking it, 
so that all parts may be heated equally ; or the can may be 
placed in cool water and gradually heated to the requisite 
degree. Dry heat is equally efficient, and may be applied 
by keeping the cans in a moderately hot oven while the 



FRUIT FOR DESSERTS AND SAUCES. 


55 


fruit is cooking. Some place the cold can upon a folded 
towel wet in cold water, which cools the bottom, and so 
prevents cracking. This method is very convenient. 

When the fruit is properly cooked, and the cans are in 
readiness, first place in the can a quantity of juice, so that 
as the fruit is put in, no vacant places will be left for air, 
which is sometimes quite troublesome when this precaution 
is not taken. Then add the fruit itself. If any bubbles of 
air chance to be left still, work them out with a fork, spoon 
handle, or straw. Fill the can full to overflowing, using 
boiling water when there is not enough juice, and immedi¬ 
ately put on the cover, and screw tightly on. As the fruit 
cools, the cover can be tightened, and this should be 
promptly done, so that no air may be allowed to enter. 
Sometimes the fruit will settle so that a little space will ap¬ 
pear at the top. If you are sure the can is tight, do not 
open to refill, as you will be unable to make the can quite 
as tight again, unless you reheat the fruit, in which case 
you would be liable to have the same thing occur again. 

To Cook Prunes without Sugar.— Put the prunes in 
warm water to clean them. Remove the stones if desired, 
then put them to cook in three quarts of water for one of 
prunes. Cover them closely, and let them simmer for sev¬ 
eral hours. Cooked in this way, they will be soft and 
sweet, with a thick juice, and need no sugar whatever. 
Many persons who cannot eat fruit cooked with sugar, can 
safely partake of prunes cooked in this way. 

To Keep Grapes. —Select such bunches as are perfect, 
rejecting all upon which there are any bruised grapes, or 
from which a grape has fallen. Spread them upon shelves 
in a cool place for a week or two. Then pack them in 
boxes in sawdust which has recently been thoroughly dried 
in an oven. Bran which has been well dried may also be 
used. Dry cotton is employed by some. Keep in a cool 
place. 

To Can Apples.— A can of nice fresh apple-sauce will be 
a luxury in the early summer, before fresh fruit ripens. 
But apples in the spring are generally rather tasteless, and 
need some flavor added to make them relishable. A nice 
way to can them is to prepare a syrup in the following pro¬ 
portions: The juice of four large or six small lemons, with 
several slices of the lemon, and four cups of sugar. Pour 
over this when well mixed three pints of boiling water, and 



56 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


let all simmer together for eight or ten minutes, or till as 
thick as desired. Prepare the apples, quarter them, or if 
small, only halve them, and cook them gently in a broad- 
bottomed, closely-covered sauce-pan, with as little water as 
possible, till tender, but not broken; then pour the syrup 
over them, heat all to boiling, and can at once. The apples 
may be cooked by steaming over a kettle of hot water, if 
preferred. Care must he taken to cook those of - the same 
degree of hardness together as much as possible, and for 
that reason it is better to sort the apples before preparing 
them, cooking the tenderest one£ separate from the hard 
and tough ones. The slices of lemon should be removed 
from the syrup before using. 

BREAKFAST DISHES. 

A good breakfast is the very best capital upon 
which people who have real work to do in the world 
can begin the day. If the food is well selected and 
well cooked, it furnishes both cheer and strength for 
their daily task. Poor food, or good food poorly pre¬ 
pared, taxes the digestive powers more than is their 
due, and consequently robs brain and nerves of their 
vigor. Good food is not rich food, in the common 
acceptation of the term; it is such food as furnishes 
the requisite nutriment with the least fatigue to the 
digestive powers. It is the best of material prepared 
in the best possible manner, and with pleasant vari¬ 
ety. It may be very simple in character ; but if it 
be bread, it will be of the very best quality ; if po¬ 
tato, it will be the dryest and most mealy, with as 
much as possible of its nutritious elements retained. 

What to get for breakfast is one of the most puz¬ 
zling problems with which the majority of house¬ 
wives have to deal. The usually limited time for its 
preparation requires that it be something easily and 
quickly prepared, and besides this, health demands 



BREAKFAST DISHES. 


57 


that the bill of fare be composed of such articles of 
diet as require but a minimum length of time for di¬ 
gestion, in order that the stomach may have chance 
for rest, after the process of digestion is complete, 
before the dinner hour. The habit of using fried po¬ 
tatoes, fried mushes, salt fish, salted meats, and other 
similar foods of almost impossible digestibility for 
breakfast dishes, is a most pernicious one. Scarcely 
any other articles of food would so completely set at 
variance the laws of breakfast hygiene. Besides be¬ 
ing exceedingly difficult of digestion, the thirst-pro¬ 
voking character of salted foods makes them an im¬ 
portant auxiliary to the acquirement of a love of in¬ 
toxicating drinks. We feel very sure that, as a prom¬ 
inent temperance writer says, it “ very often happens 
that women who send out their loved ones with an 
agony of prayer that they may be kept from drink 
for the day, also send them with a breakfast that 
will make them almost frantic with thirst before they 
get to the first tavern.” 

The breakfast should be as simple as possible, but 
the food should be as delicately cooked and neatly 
served as the most elaborate bill of fare would de¬ 
mand. Fruit, which is always an acceptable article 
of diet, should have a place upon the breakfast-table. 
Nice, mellow apples and oranges are obtainable most 
of the year round, and can be varied by peaches, 
grapes, and other fruits in their season. The fruit 
can be arranged and left in some cool place over 
night. 

The grains form one of the most healthful, appro¬ 
priate, and convenient of breakfast dishes. Wheat, 



58 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


oatmeal, or barley, because of their especial nutritive 
properties, are excellent for use as the principal dish 
for breakfast. 

Grains for Breakfast.— Hasty preparation will not suf¬ 
fice for the cereals, as nearly all require several hours’ cook¬ 
ing to render them wholesome. This difficulty in the way 
of their use on the breakfast table may be obviated by cook¬ 
ing them the afternoon before in a double boiler or in one 
dish set inside another filled with boiling water. (Recipes 
lor cooking the various grains were given on pages 23-29.) 
When the grain is done, turn it into a large earthen 
or china dish. In the morning all that is necessary to do is 
to set the dish into a steamer over a kettle of boiling water, 
and heat through to make it ready for the table. If cooked 
in a porcelain-lined or pure granite-ware double boiler, it 
can be re-heated in the same dish by filling the outer cup 
with boiling water, and placing the inner cup containing the 
grain in it until well warmed through. But unless one is 
very certain that the boiler is made of perfectly pure mate¬ 
rial, it is far better to turn it into an earthen dish, and steam 
over boiling water, and is certainly no more trouble. 

Some one of the grains well cooked and served with 
cream and sugar with nice ripe fruit, whole-wheat bread, 
and some simple relishes, are quite sufficient for a healthful 
and palatable breakfast. If, however, a more extensive 
bill of fare is desired, we would suggest, as suitable articles 
for breakfast, radishes, raw, sliced tomatoes, and celery in 
their season, steamed figs, dates, baked apples, and some of 
the various unfermented breads for which recipes were 
given on pages 21, 22. Of vegetables, none but the potato is 
especially serviceable as a breakfast food. And it is much 
more readily digested when baked than when prepared in 
any other manner. Stewing requires less time for prepara¬ 
tion, but about one hour longer for digestion. But in what¬ 
ever manner they are cooked, they should not be prepared 
over night, and left in a pan full of water to dissolve out 
the little nutritive elements they contain. If they are to be 
baked, thoroughly wipe their skins with a wet cloth, then 
put them in a cool place over night; if they are to be pared, 
it is far better to do it in the morning. 

As dressings for baked potatoes, we suggest the follow- 




BREAKFAST DISHES. 


59 


Cream Sauce. —Heat a pint of rich milk, part cream if it 
can be afforded, to boiling, and stir into it one tablespoon¬ 
ful of flour previously rubbed perfectly smooth in a little 
milk. Season with salt if desired, and boil up two or three 
minutes till the flour is well cooked, stirring continually 
that no lumps be formed. Gravy full of lumps is unpalata¬ 
ble. If, however, it happens that with all the care, lumps 
are found in the sauce, turn it quickly through a fine, hot 
colander into the dish in which it is to be served. 

Celery Sauce. —Cut a half dozen stalks of celery into 
finger lengths, and simmer in milk for ten or fifteen min¬ 
utes, or until the milk is well flavored. Skim out the cel¬ 
ery, add a little cream to the milk, salt if desired, and 
tMcken with flour as for cream sauce. 

Egg Sauce. —Heat a pint of milk to boiling, and stir in 
a dessert spoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little milk. 
Let it boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce is well thick 
ened, then add the well-beaten yolk of an egg, turning it in 
very slowly and stirring rapidly so that it shall be well min¬ 
gled with the whole. Boil up once only, add a very little 
salt if desired, and serve. The egg thus added makes an 
excellent substitute for cream when the latter cannot be had 
for cream sauce. 

The following various kinds of toast are also quite suit¬ 
able for breakfast dishes :— 

Strawberry Toast. —Brown nicely some slices of graham 
bread. Turn a can of well-kept strawberries into a colander . 
over an earthen dish to separate the juice and berries. 
Place the juice in a porcelain vessel on the stove, and heat 
to boiling. When boiling, thicken to consistency of cream 
with flour rubbed smooth in a little water. A teaspoonful 
of flour to the pint of juice will be about the right propor¬ 
tion. Add the berries, and boil up once or twice, just suffi¬ 
ciently to cook the flour and heat the berries ; then dish over 
the slices of hot toast. If the toast is very dry, a little of 
the juice may be reserved without thickening, and heated 
in another dish to first moisten the toast. Or, if preferred, 
the fruit may be poured hot over the toast without being 
thickened. Canned blueberries, raspberries, peaches, and 
cherries also make excellent fruit toast. 

Prune Toast. —Pour tepid water over some prunes, and 
let them stand a few minutes to soak and soften. Rub well 



60 


THE COOKING SCHOOL. 


between the hands to clean; rinse in clean water, and then 
remove the stones, which can easily be done by this time. 
For every quart of prunes when stoned, add three of water, 
and place in a porcelain kettle on the stove ; cover tightly, 
and simmer gently till done. Then turn into a colander, 
and rub through to remove the skins. If the toast is desired 
for breakfast, the prunes should be prepared the afternoon 
before. When needed, heat to boiling, and pour over nicely 
browned slices of toast, previously moistened with hot water 
or hot cream as preferred. 

Vegetable Oyster Toast.—Cook a quart of cleaned and 

sliced vegetable oysters in a quart of water until very ten¬ 
der, then add a pint of milk, a cup of cream, salt to taste, 
and thicken the whole with two tablespoonfuls of flour 
rubbed to a smooth paste with a little milk. Let it boil for 
a few minutes, and turn over slices of well-browned toast 
previously moistened with hot milk. 

Lentil Toast. —A sauce made of stewed lentils, rubbed 
through a colander as for soup, and seasoned with salt and 
cream to taste, turned over slices of well-browned graham 
bread, makes a very palatable toast. If needed for break¬ 
fast, the lentils should be stewed the day previous. 

Celery Toast. —Cut the tender, white portion of celery 
into inch pieces, simmer until tender (twenty minutes or half 
an hour will usually be sufficient) in a very^little water, add 
sweet cream, season to taste, and pour over slices of toasted 
bread. Serve hot. 

Dry Toast. —Cut thinly and evenly some slices of graham 
bread, and brown nicely over the hot coals or on the top 
grate of a hot oven. The latter method is far more prefer¬ 
able when it is desired for dyspeptics, as the entire thickness 
of the slice is toasted. 

Milk Toast. —Prepare some bread as for dry toast, 
moisten with a little hot milk, and then turn over each piece 
a sauce made by thickening a pint of thin cream with a tea¬ 
spoonful of flour in the same manner as for cream sauce. 

Tomato Toast. —Pour hot, strained, stewed tomatoes, 
seasoned with salt and a little cream if desired, over slices 
of nicely browned toast. The tomato sauce is much better 
to be first thickened to the consistency of cream with a little 
flour, the same as for milk toast. 



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8. Cayenne and its Conge¬ 

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10. A Peep into a Packing 

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THE HOME HAND-BOOK 


-o) 


— OF- 


DOMESTIC HYGIENE AND RATIONAL MEDICINE. 


By J. H. KELLOGG, M. D., 

Member of the Society of Hygiene of France, The American Public Health 
Association, The British Association for Advancement of Science, 

The Michigan State Board of Health, etc., etc. 


[REVISED AND ENLARGED.] 

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The rapid sale of 

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Among its many attractions may be mentioned 

A PAPER MANIKIN OF THE HUMAN BODY, 

A unique mode of illustrating the form and position of the various 
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Twenty-six Colored Plates, and an Index of Symp¬ 
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Contains 1624 Royal Octavo Pages, besides Plates. 

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SCIENCE IN THE KITCHEN. 


o 


A'' 

ft 


By Mrs. E. E. KELLOGG, A. M. 


The Most Complete Work on the Subject of Health¬ 
ful Cookery Ever Issued. 


Contains an account of the nature and proper preparation of 
food, bills of fare, dietaries, useful tables, etc., etc., and 


A GREAT AMOUNT OF USEFUL INFORMATION 

On these subjects not to be found elsewhere. This work is now 
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hopes to complete it soon. 

It will be 


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and will contain between 400 and 500 compact pages, with 
numerous illustrations. 


Health publishing co., 

Battle Creek, Michigan,, 















The use of this simple article obvi¬ 
ates the necessity for the use of 
garters or contrivances for fast¬ 
ening the stocking to gar¬ 
ments suspended from 
the waist, and is 
really an 

ESSENTIAL AID TO CONFORMITY 

TO THE 

LAWS OF HEALTH 

RELATING TO THE 

Clothing ef tbe Boll. 

Several sizes are supplied at prices 
given below, and the same article is 
also combined with the skirt supporter 
shown on the page facing this. 

- +O+ -- 



Prices, postpaid, as follows :— 

No. 7 Ladies’, 60 Cents. 

No. 8 Misses’, • 50 Cents. 

No. 0 Children’s, TO Cents. 

No. 10 for Children, Age 3 to 5 y’rs, 35 Cents. 

Combination Skirt Suspender and 
Hose Supporter, - - ■ $1.10. 

Address, 

SANITARY SUPPLY CO., 

BATTLE CREEK, MICH. 


^“Canvassers Wanted. 















HYGIENIC 


SKIRT SUSPENDER. 



Fig. 1. 

Improved Skirt Supporter. 


the most serv 
iceable and 
s atisfactory. 
Of the many 
thousands 
i sold, we have 
yet to learn of 
one which has 
not been in 
the highest degree satisfactory. These 
supporters are provided with a new 
form of swivel hook for attaching 

I_I the clothing quickly 

and securely, and 
which will not injure 
nor tear the clothing. 
Can be fastened in two 
seconds, and when 
unfastened. 


||HE importance of suspending the 
skirts and under-garments from the 
shoulders has been emphasized by 
every modern writer on the health 
and diseases of women. We have 
examined all the various devices for this 
purpose, and have selected the above as 



CRf 



Shoulder Brace and Skirt Supporter, 

once placed cannot become 


Figure I shows the simplest and most convenient 
skirt suspender yet devised. 

Fig. 3. . Figure 2 shows a skirt supporter so arranged as to 

give some support to the shoulders when they are 
inclined to drop forward. It is free from the objec¬ 
tionable features of ordinary shoulder braces, and 
might, perhaps, be more properly termed a 
SHOULDER SUPPORTER. 

I igures 3 and 4 show the hook used with these 
supporters, both open and closed. 

Those who prefer can attach buttons to the sup¬ 
porters for attaching the skirts, but most ladies pre¬ 
fer the hooks, which are very substantial, seldom 
Fig. 4. breaking. New ones are furnished when necessary. 







































THE HYaiENIO 

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Adjustable either for Ladies or Misses, made of beautiful 

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misses,.. 

Sent by mail, postage paid, on receipt of price. 

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BATTLE CREEK, MICH. 

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THE SYPHON SYRINGE. 



3 






(Hil FTER examining and using 
nearly all the different 
kinds of Syringes manu¬ 
factured, we devised 

THE SYPHON SYRINGE, 

represented in the accompany¬ 
ing cuts; and after using it for 
several years, and supplying it 
to hundreds of persons in vari¬ 
ous parts of the world, we are 
convinced that, on the whole, it 
is unequaled for the purposes for 


whicn it is designed. Besides answering all the purposes of 
any Syringe, it may also be used 


For a Prolonged Douche, 

For the Prolonged Application of Heat or Cold, 

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By means of which dry heat may be most conveniently applied, 
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IT IS .A. HOUSEHOLD NECESSITY. 

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SMITH’S 



— SHOWING — 


The Relation of Any Motion to Every Other Motion, 
and Answering at a Glance over 500 Questions in 
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■ for conducting the Business of 
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IT IS TO THE STUDY OF PARLIAMENTARY PRACTICE WHAT 
A MAP IS TO THE STUDY OF GEOGRAPHY. 


TES TIMONIALS. 

From J. WARREN KEIFER, Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, Washington. 

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so as to indicate to cither the casual reader or even an expert the 
special as well as general rules controlling a particular motion. 
Your work seems to have been thoroughly done, and I cheerfully 
commend it as a vade mecum for parliamentarians. 


From the N. Y. Independent, March Q, 1882* 

u Smith’s Diagram of Parliamentary Pules is an admirably in¬ 
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Mr. Uriah Smith has put more of the essence of parliamentary 
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manual. 

Price, by mail, post-paid, 50 cents. 
Address, REVIEW k HERALD PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION, 

Battle Creek, Michigan. 









V 




THE CHILD, THE YOUTH, AND THE PARENT. 


A FAMILY PORTFOLIO of NATURAL HISTORY and BIBLE SCENES. 


One Hundred and Ninety Illustrations. 

-. -■». -- 

REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING HOUSE, BATTLE CREEK, MICH. 


f HE life mission of some people seems to be to “ scatter sunshine ” 
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short illustrated stories, designed for both old and young, together with bio¬ 
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THE ENGRAVINGS ARE GEMS 

Worthy of the literary setting with which they are exhibited. As works of art, 
many of them will take high rank, being the product of the combined skill of 
designers and engravers at the head of their professions. Embracing, as they do, 
such a large variety of subjects, they present a pleasing contrast in style, adapted 
to the tastes of all, and containing lessons for every class of readers. Many of 
these engravings were procured expressly for this work, at large expense, and a 
portion of them are full-page in size. Including the illustrated initials, the 
pictures number one hundred and ninety, every one of which is a study, and 
hence the pictures alone will afford a fund of almost endless entertainment in 
any household. When we add to this the large collection of instructive and 
entertaining reading matter, the amount of “sunshine” which the work will 
furnish seems almost unlimited. 


DESCRIPTIVE. 

The work comprises 128 large quarto pages, and 190 engravings, and is 
printed on fine calendered paper, in the best style of the typographic art. It 
is handsomely and substantially bound in fine cloth, embossed in jet and gold, 
and is a handsome ornament to any center-table, and an adornment to any 

library. 

ITS FIELD OF USEFULNESS. 

The character of the work is well calculated to give it a wide circulation. 
Bright and sparkling, without being frivolous or trifling; moral in its tone, 
without being sombre or dogmatical; religious, without sectarianism,—it in s 
a ready sale in all classes of society, and exerts its beneficent influence wherever 
it goes. Agents are meeting with great success. It readily commends itself to 
all who see it, and once brought to the attention of a family, its possession is 
earnestly desired. It will make a beautiful gift for any person and we espe¬ 
cially commend it to those who are looking for suitable presents for the holiday 

season, or for any occasion. 


The First Edition of about ‘2,000 Copies was 
Sold in Two Weeks! 


Price, Postpaid, 


$1.50. 


Address, 


REVIEW AND IIERALD, 

BATTLE CREEK, MICH. 






Medical and Surgical Sanitarium, 

BATTLE CREEK, MICH. 



The Largest Sanitarium in the World. 


This Institution has for nearly twenty years enjoyed an in¬ 
creasing patronage from all parts of the United States and Can¬ 
ada , during which time 


MORE THAN 10,000 PATIENTS 

Have enjoyed the benefits of its unrivaled facilities for the 
tieatment of all forms of Chrome Diseases, including special 
treatment for the EYE, EAR, THROAT, and LUNGS, together with 
diseases peculiar to each sex. 

Every Remedial Agent of Known Value 

is Employed . 

The managers have spared no expense to perfect the appli¬ 
ances of the Establishment to the highest degree, and regardless 
of cost; and a personal acquaintance with the leading Sanitari¬ 
ums of both this country and Europe, enables us to say that no¬ 
where else in the world can the invalid in search of health find 
so great an assemblage of means and appliances for combating 
disease as are found here. 

Address, for circulars and further information, inclosing stamp, 

SANITARIUM, 

BATTLE CREEK, 


MICHIGAN. 




















T HIS cut is a representation of a bat¬ 
tery which w r e have had constructed 
<C> expressly for us, to meet the demand 
i constantly made by patients and others 
for a cheap and reliable battery for self¬ 
treatment or family use. 

This we can recommend, having thor¬ 
oughly tested its merits. Directions for 
use accompany each battery. 

Pr' c3 .$12 00 

Battery Fluid extra,when desired, 1 00 
Address, 

SANITARIUM, 

Battle Creek, Mich. 


THE POCKET FILTER. 


Foul water has by modern scientific investigations been shown 
to be one of the most prolific sources of acute diseases dangerous 
to life. It is also well shown by careful sanitary surveys, that 
a very large proportion of the water used for drinking purposes 
is utterly unfit fur use. and in the highest degree unwholesome 
The Pocket Filter is an ingenious device, by the use ot which 
a person may be at all times protected from the dangers men¬ 
tioned. It is always ready for use, tho filter ltselt being 
dropped into a pitcher, pail, river, spring, or even a muddy 
pool, while the drinker applies his mouth at the other end of 

the flexible tube attached. 

I Stanley, the African explorer, and his men were supplied 
with this useful little article, as well as ihe soldiers sent out by 
the English government on the Ashantee expedition. I hey 
are manufactured only in London, England, and we have 
them imported in quantities. 

The Filter is so small that it can be carried anywhere, in a 
_ valise, or even in the coat pocket. It is put up m a nice tin 

case and will last a lifetime with proper care. Ihc cut shows how it may be 
used as a syphon, it being only necessary to start the stream by suction with the 
lips, when the filtration will continue until the upper vessel has been emptie . 

Price, by mail, post-paid,. $2.00. 

SANITARY SUPPLY CO., 

Battle Creek, Michigan. 



Address, 











































M OST invalids require foods especially prepared and adapted to their con¬ 
dition. To meet this want, long felt by intelligent and observing physi¬ 
cians, as well as by thousands of dyspeptics and other invalids, the following 
special foods have been prepared, and are furnished in any quantity desired :— 

WHOLE-WHEAT WAFERS. Contain no sugar, yeast, butter, nor short¬ 
ening of any kind, but are crisp, sweet, and toothsome. The best bread for a 
dyspeptic. 

GLUTEN WAFERS. Contain only a small proportion of starch, and no 
bran. Specially designed for persons suffering with acid dyspepsia, diabetes, 
and general debility, for which patients they are invaluable. 

RYE WAFERS. Excellent for persons suffering with inactivity of the 
bowels. They are composed of a combination of rye meal and whole-wheat 
flour. Are crisp and palatable. 

CARBON CRACKERS. Invaluable for persons suffering with acidity or 
flatulence of the stomach or bowels. 

WHEATENA. This is a preparation of wheat which is subjected to a 
process by means of which it is partially digested, and rendered readily soluble 
in the digestive juices. For persons suffering with slow digestion and constipa¬ 
tion, it is almost indispensable. It is put up in packages ready for the table, 
and requires no cooking, although it may be prepared in a variety of ways. 

GRANOLA. This is a preparation which combines all the qualities of the 
preceding, being prepared by the same process of a careful combination of va¬ 
rious grains, the exact proportions of which have been determined by many ex¬ 
periments. There is no farinaceous preparation offered in the market which 
compares in any respect with this. It is greatly superior to “steam-cooked " 
preparations which are offered at a much higher price, and has received the 
highest encomiums from those who have used it. 

DIABETIC FOOD. For years the medical profession have sought for an 
article of food which would take the place of bread for use in cases of diabetes, 
in which it is absolutely necessary to deprive the patient of all articles contain¬ 
ing starch and sugar. The desideratum is at last supplied in our diabetic food, 
which is really a form of bread deprived of its starchy and saccharine elements’ 
but retaining all the other palatable and nourishing elements of the best wheat 
flour. 

. GLUTEN FOOD. This article is to be used in the same cases as those for 
which the gluten wafer is recommended. It is not only an indispensable ad¬ 
junct to treatment in such cases, but is so palatable and nutritious as to be a 
desirable article of food for any one suffering from weak digestion, and general 
or nervous debility. It is a perfect substitute for animal food in cases in which 
the latter is thought to be indicated. 

INFANTS’ FOOD. The demand for infants' food has in modern times be¬ 
come so great that several large establishments are devoted almost exclusively 
to its manufacture. It is well known to scientific physicians, however, that 
most of these preparations are utterly worthless for the purpose for which they 
are sold, most being very largely composed of starch, which the feeble infantile 
stomach is unprepared to digest. Used according to directions, this food may 
safely be employed as a substitute for mother’s milk, when the latter cannot be 
obtained, and it will often be digested when other articles of fopd cannot be 
.eaten without producing serious derangement of digestion. 

FOR PRICES SEE NEXT PAGE, 








PRICE LIST 


-- 

Cts. per Pound, 


Oatmeal Biscuit, . 12. 

Medium Oatmeal Crackers, . 10. 

Plain Oatmeal Crackers, . 10. 

Bran Crackers, . 12. 

No. 1 Graham Crackers, . 10. 

No. 2 Graham Crackers, . 10. 


Plain Graham Crackers (Dyspeptic Crackers) 10. 


White Crackers, . 

Whole-Wheat Wafers, . . 

Gluten Wafers, . . V 

Rye Wafers, . 

Passover Bread, . 

Fruit Crackers, . 

Carbon Crackers, . 

Beef and Bread Combination Biscuit, 

Ground Crackers, . 

Wheatena, . 

Auenola, . 

Granola ,. 

Beef and Bread Granola, . 

Germ Granola, . 

Diabetic Food,.. 

Gluten Food, ... 

Infants’ Food,.. 

Wheat Charcoal, 


j 2 oz. package, 
( 4 oz. package, 


.... 10. 

.... 12. 

.... 30. 

12. 

.... 15. 

.... 20. 

.... 15. net 
.... 20 . 

.... 12. 

. 12 . 

- 13.. 

.... 12. 

.... 20. 

.... 15. 

.... 40. 

.... 40. 

_ 40. 

.... 30. 

.... 50. 


*Graham Grits, . 

*Graham Flour, . 

* Oatmeal , A, B, & C, 

* Pearl Barley, . 

* Whole-Wheat Flour ,. 


'Pg" With the exception of the various kinds of Crackers, all 
of the above goods are put up in one, two, and five pound packages. 

* The prices of these articles are subject to slight changes due to fluctua¬ 
tions in the grain market. Prices given on application. 

A ddress, SANITARIUM, Battle Creek, Mieli. 





































OJiil COUNTRY: 

Its Past; PrESEntj and FutnrE; and What 
thE BiblE says nf It, 


By 


URIAH SMITH. 


Author of “ Thoughts on Dauiel and the Revelation,” “ The Sanctuary and Its Cleansing,” “Smith's 
Diagram of Parliamentary Rules,” “ Man's Nature and Destiny,” etc. 



HE past of our Country i& read in history ; its present is before the eyes of every 
wide-awake observer; its future—what is that to be? Like Patrick Henry, we 


mayjudgc< something of the future by the past and the evident tendencies of the 
present. But who would not like to read it in a more certain light? A BOOK IS NOW'' 
OFFERED, carefully and candidly discussing this most fascinating theme. Present 
issues are accounted for, and future results clearly shown. 


Is til6 Hible ail Obsolete Hook? or do its predictions reach to our ou n 
limes? Other great nations of the world are subjects of prophecy ; WHY NOT OU l\ 
OWN? The author, having made Biblical themes his study for over thirty years, 
claims to know the difference between fact and fancy, sound sense and sophistry. The 
writings of such men as Keith, Sir Isaac Newton, Bishop Newton, Faber, Hales, Horne, 
Boothroyd, Clarke, Scott, Doddridge, Nelson, Henry, Jenks, Barnes, etc., are : ‘andard 
in the religious world. The line of interpretation largely followed by these men, is here 
adopted, and curried a step farther. In other words, prophecy is brought Abreast of 
the Times, and it is shown how the Bible should be read in the light of the present, and 
the present interpreted in the light of the Bible. They still belong together. We have 
not yet progressed beyond the Bible. As surely as history is history and logic is logic, 
the Scriptures predicted nearly eighteen hundred years ago the rise of this Government, 
showing that it would— 


I. Arise in the Western Hemisphere —2. Arise in the present century — 
3. Occupy territory previously unknown— a,. Come up peacefully — 
5. Reach great power —6. Proclaim civil and religious liberty —7. Be 
a republic —8. Be a Protestant nation —9. Be the birth-place of 
Modern Spiritualism , and —10. Present the most marvelous exhibi¬ 
tion of national development the world has ever seen. 

So explicit Is prophecy in regard to this nation; and the reader will find every 
point sustained by indubitable Scripture evidence and historical testimony. If the Bi¬ 
ble is what it declares itself to be, “a lamp to oar feet and a light to our path,” it is 
the only certain light in which to interpret passing events. 


The Sunday Question, 


Fast comine tc be a leading political issue, is discussed from the standpoint of its rela¬ 
tion to the Government. This book. 


"THE MARVEL OF NATIONS” 

Has now reached its 15 th edition, and is selling rapidly. It treats upon no fossil theo 
ries, but fresh thews and living issues. These questions are COMING TO THE 
FRONT, and he who would be familiar with current thought on current subjects, should 
give th'/tn an examination. 


THE MA RYE E OF NA TIONS“ is a volume of nearly 300 pages, and con¬ 
tains many useful illustrations. The type is large and clear, and the printing and pane* 
excellent. 

Bound only in doth, and sent post-paid for - - $1.00. 

JBsf'So great is the demand for this book that the later editions are run in 20,003 lots. 


S100,Ji 














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